Prison for boozer who waged harassment campaign on Mansfield family

A Mansfield man who waged a drunken campaign of harassment against his neighbours left their young children feeling "petrified", a court heard.
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Mark Radford mimed tying a rope around his neck and "hanging" himself outside their home, as well as shouting drunken abuse at the top of his voice, late at night.

Prosecutor Robert Carr described a series of incidents, starting in June 2018, after Radford moved into his aunt's home on Brookland Avenue, which continued until April 28, 2019.

At one point they were disturbed by his antics two or three times a week, he said.

In December, he shouted "f****** paedo" and pointed at their house, and later gestured "as if to say "come on then", with a can of beer in his hand."

Mr Carr said the family's children were "petrified" and "too scared to go into the front garden in case the defendant was outside."

The court heard he received a suspended sentence, in October, for assault, and was last in trouble in January, this year, for being drunk and disorderly.

Radford told police he was "a Jekyll and Hyde character" who was "truly sorry for the distress he caused."

Morgan Hogarth, mitigating, said the former Royal Mail worker is an alcoholic who lost his job, after more than 20 years of service, in 2017.

"He defaulted on his mortgage and he lost his home," said Mr Hogarth. "He effectively has no income. He has been told he can't live at his aunt's address."

Radford, 58, admitted harassment and breaching a suspended sentence and police bail, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Friday.

Magistrates "couldn't see any reason" why they shouldn't activate the suspended sentence of 12 weeks, and added 12 weeks for the harassment.

A two year restraining order was imposed. He was ordered to pay a government surcharge of £115.