Nightmare neighbour terrorised family wearing ski-mask and carrying a claw hammer, court is told

Benjamin Parker played loud music day and night, verbally abused the Polish family living next door and even wrote a sign in his window about "grasses burning" after the terrified neighbours were forced to contact the police and council out of desperation.

Parker, 36, who has a lengthy criminal record including violent offences and is already subject to a criminal behaviour order (CBO), admitted three counts of breaching the order at Leeds Crown Court along with a charge of causing fear of violence that was racially aggravated.

Already in custody, he appeared in court via video link where it was heard that Parker had moved into the cul-de-sac property on Crofters Place in Havercroft earlier this year.

Prosecuting, Graham O'Sullivan said the first month passed without incident but Parker then began to play loud music and play video games up to five nights a week.

At first, Parker did turn the music down when asked by his neighbour, who has a young daughter, but then began to play his music at all hours.

On May 1, when the neighbour again knocked on his door to complain about the noise, Parker answered in a full face mask and was holding a baseball bat, which left the neighbour scared, Mr O'Sullivan said.

He said the family became too frightened to knock again and so contacted the police and the council, which led Parker to write the note in his window, which he wrote in English and Polish.

Then on the evening of August 17, when the neighbour went into his garden to feed the family's pet rabbit, Parker stood at the doorway of his home, wearing the balaclava and carrying the claw hammer and began shouting and swearing at the neighbour, who filmed him after being asked by the authorities to gather evidence of Parker's disturbing behaviour.

Parker was arrested that night and the footage was shown in court.

A statement from his neighbour, read out by Mr O'Sullivan, read: "My family is scared to be in the house nor the garden. I was afraid to go out in and if you did you didn't know what you might come home to.

"I was scared what what could have happened to my wife and my daughter."

Parker has 26 previous convictions, seven for violence including ABH and two counts of battery. The court was also told that he had previously threatened another neighbour while living at a previous address.

Mitigating, Matthew Harding said Parker struggled with loneliness and isolation, mental health problems, and alcohol.

He said: "When he does drink to try and meet these problems he finds himself in trouble.

"He has an inability to cope with situations and seeks to alleviate that through drinking. He is sorry for the affect his offending has had."

Judge Neil Clark jailed Parker for 18 months, saying: "The victim is a man who has a family and you deliberately caused trouble for him, causing immense distress.

"I accept your apology and I know the problems with your mental health has undoubtedly played some part in these offences, coupled with the fact that you have struggled with alcohol dependency."

The judge also handed Parker a five-year restraining order to keep away from Crofters Place and from his neighbour.