‘Devious’ Ashfield councillor made neighbours’ lives a living hell with ‘blatant lies’

Coun Tom Hollis (Ash Ind), who has been sacked as Ashfield Council deputy leader, but kept his post as cabinet member for housing, was convicted of harassment without violence, following a two-day trial, and careless driving, the next day in September.

Hollis made ‘spurious and ridiculous complaints’ to police about his neighbours, before falsely claiming one of them had chased him with a foot-and-a-half carving knife on Windmill Close, Huthwaite, on May 16, 2020.

Mark Fielding, prosecuting, said: “While on the phone he play-acted as if he was being chased by the male victim with a knife. He ran into his house, squealing, almost crying, shouting ‘don’t come at me with that’.

“While in the house he carried on with the call and claimed the male victim had chased him with a knife.

"By the utmost good fortune this was all caught on camera.

“If it hadn't been filmed, his neighbour would have been carted away based on a malicious concocted 999 call.”

Tensions flared when Hollis’s neighbours asked the police if he had breached Covid regulations by hosting council meetings from his hot tub in the back garden.

Hollis, 29, of Yew Tree Drive, Huthwaite, wrote a letter of complaint seeking to ‘defuse the situation’ on official council notepaper, which only succeeded in intimidating his neighbours.

The court heard his neighbour was ‘heartbroken’ when his young daughter asked him what a paedophile was, after Hollis repeatedly accused him of being one.

His neighbours, who lost about £30,000 when they had to sell their home because of the abuse, said: “We never expected our neighbour would make our lives a living hell.”

The second trial heard a police officer spotted Hollis ‘flying’ along Outram Street in his £50,000 Range Rover Evoque, at twice the 30mph speed limit.

Hollis ‘almost collided’ with another police car travelling in the opposite direction as he was chased for just under a mile, on August 17, at about 10pm.

Hollis came to an ‘urgent stop’ in the petrol forecourt of Asda, on Priestsic Road, before reversing into the front end of the unmarked police car.

Errol Ballentyne, mitigating, said Hollis moved out before his neighbours sold up and told the court his behaviour was 'out of character', of limited duration and brought about by burn-out from 'public-spirited hard work'.

"He was working 70 hours a week,” he said. “It took a toll on him. His stress levels were such he couldn't cope. Learning there were complaints about him tipped him over the edge.”

Sentencing, District judge Leo Pyle told Hollis, who received a conditional discharge for assaulting a council colleague in 2015, that his ‘blatant lies’ affected the young couple to ‘intolerable levels’ and their daughter became too scared to go into the back garden.

He imposed a 12-month community order with 200 hours’ unpaid work.

Hollis was also was ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to his neighbours, a £95 surcharge and £1,000 court costs.

For the driving offence he was fined £575 and his licence was endorsed with six points.

The Dispatch has contacted Hucknall councillors for comment.