Man fined £250 for sending toothpaste to neighbour he said had bad breath

A landscape gardener who posted toothpaste next door after accusing his neighbour of having bad breath has been ordered to pay him £250 in compensation.

Steven Wright, 37, became locked in a bitter feud with Colin Jones after clashing over parking in the town of Handforth, Cheshire, shortly after Mr Jones moved in back in 2019.

He was also accused of moving Mr Jones’s wheelie bin before it could be emptied, piling leaves and rocks in front of his car, and sticking the washing machine on late at night to make noise.

Mr Jones, who has since moved out, reported Wright to police saying: ‘These issues caused me a great deal of anxiety and I suffered a great deal of stress. My quality of life changed massively as a result of his behaviour.’

Wright pleaded guilty to harassment at Crewe Magistrates’ Court and was made subject of a 12-month restraining order barring any contact with his victim.

The court heard the incidents occurred between October 2019 and April 2021.

Prosecutor Nicole Bridgman said at an earlier hearing: ‘The complainant said he had been parking his car in a particular place for two years but the defendant was said to have told him “Do not f**king park here again, you cannot park here”.

‘On another occasion, when the complainant asked the defendant to move debris from the drive, he pushed a pile of leaves and rocks in front of his car.

‘When family members were staying at the complainant’s property, both of their cars were damaged. The complainant suspects the defendant was responsible for that but there is nothing to prove it.

‘In one incident the defendant put his clenched fist underneath the complainants chin and said he could smell his breath and words were exchanged.

‘The next day, in a spiteful act of retaliation, the defendant posted through the letterbox a toothbrush and toothpaste to mock the complainant further.

‘The complainant later installed CCTV in April 2020 which the defendant then covered up with plastic. The complainant said it cost £500 to fix.

‘There was damage to the complainant’s fence, the police were called and officers asked both parties to stay away from each other. The defendant called the complainant “a f**king w**ker”.

‘There is CCTV footage to show the defendant moving the bin before it was emptied. This caused the complainant harassment and distress. There is also an allegation that the defendant put his washing machine on in the early hours of the morning to make noise.’

Defending, Sam Fixster told the bench: ‘It is an assumption his car was damaged by this defendant. He does not know who it was and in all due respect.

‘It is not the best of housing estates and things happen. He moved the wheelie bins onto a separate area of grassland.

‘It started with an argument over a parking space. It’s probably something that happens a lot in blocks of flats – people park somewhere and notes get left on windscreens. It happens.

‘The note was strongly worded and he apologised the next day but there was then an argument over the note and then further things, including leaving the toothpaste on Mr Jones’s doorstep.

‘It was a long time ago and there have been no issues with anybody else. He is a landscaper by trade so he assists his neighbours with maintaining the area. So it seems to have been a clash of personalities.’

Wright was also fined £160 and ordered to pay £284 in costs and court surcharge.

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