Moment man climbed onto roof and threw tiles at his neighbours ‘as he “systematically destroyed” two houses during seven-year-long row over a fence’

This is the moment a man climbed onto a roof and threw tiles at his neighbours as he ‘systematically destroyed’ two houses at the end of a bitter seven-year-long row over a fence.

Mark Coates, 57, smashed a hole through the roof of the semi-detached homes before climbing out and hurling the tiles to the ground, a court heard.

His terrified neighbour Janice Turner, 66, looked on in tears as she watched the destruction of her property unfold.

After she felt a tile fly past her face she called the police and, after a stand-off lasting more than two hours, Coates was eventually arrested, a court was told.

The alleged incident on June 10 in Robertsbridge, near Hastings this year brought to an end the seven-year neighbour dispute over their shared boundary which began when a fence panel fell down.

Lewes Crown Court heard Coates, 57, barricaded himself into his house and began ‘systematically destroying’ the house to reduce its value.

The court heard that, after years of litigation, the case had eventually gone to the High Court where a judge had ruled against Coates.

As a result property was due to sold to reimburse Miss Turner and Mr Greenwood’s legal fees as well as for the damage caused to their property and for compensation for harassment they had suffered.

Mark Coates (right) arrives at Lewes Crown Court for a trial over a boundary dispute

Janice Turner (pictured with partner Brian Greenwood), 66, looked on in tears as she watched the destruction of her property unfold

But just three days before he was due to hand over the house keys Coates decided to cause massive damage to the three-bedroom property, the jury heard.

The video, captured from a police body-worn camera, shows police officers trying to reason with Coates and coax him down from the roof.

The court heard Coates told officers: ‘I’ve had this house stolen off me by a judge and corrupt police. I’ll cause as much damage as I can to devalue the house.’

Although not captured on video, Coates then clambered across the roof and began smashing tiles from neighbours’ adjoining home, throwing them down into their garden.

Miss Turner said: ‘There were a variety of loud noises coming from inside his house, banging and clattering.

‘I went up the garden and Mr Coates was inside and he was smashing a hole from the inside of his attic space and he was cutting the batons and knocking the tiles off the roof.

‘He was picking some of them up and throwing them into the garden and towards me. I was standing by my greenhouse I felt debris from the roof go past my face.’

She said when the hole was big enough to climb through Coates clambered out onto the roof.

Coates ripped a hole in the roof, clambered out and started hurling tiles down at the ground

Janice Turner (pictured), 66, and her partner, David Greenwood, 70, claim they were left living in fear of violence after the long-running dispute with Mark Coates

Miss Turner said: ‘He continued to remove everything from that roof and then breached the party wall area and completely removed the best part of the roof at the rear of my property.

‘I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was extremely distressed and I was very scared and I was crying. I felt very, very frightened.

‘He was systematically and vindictively destroying the property. He cut a hole through the joists. He took the staircase out of his house. His aim was to destroy and diminish its value. It was calculating and spiteful.’

Mr Greenwood told the jury: ‘Tiles were being thrown everywhere, chimney pots were being smashed off. I was quite shocked. I’ve never seen someone destroying a house that way before. The whole situation was completely out of hand. It was just total, total destruction.’

In the video, shown to the court , Coates told officers his aim was to cause as much damage as possible.

The bitter row was over the fence separating the two gardens. Mark Coates’ garden is on the left 

The disputed fence between the semi-detached properties of Mark Coates (right) and Janice Turner (left) as it was in 2015

He said he wanted charges to be so serious he would get a trial by jury where he would be able to expose officials who had used ‘corruption and bias’ to strip him of his home.

Coates was eventually arrested and charged with two counts of harassment and two counts of criminal damage. He denies all charges.

Janice Turner, 66, and her partner, David Greenwood, 70, claim they were left living in fear of violence after the long-running dispute with Mark Coates.

Earlier Coates was accused of repeatedly swearing at the couple when they were in the garden, threw stones at their bedroom window and at their car and had left them feeling intimidated.

The court heard Coates drove his VW van to the garage where Mr Greenwood worked as a mechanic.

As he was carrying out diagnostics on a car outside the garage, Coates drove straight at him.

Rio Pahlavanpour, prosecuting said Mr Greenwood had to move ‘briskly’ to avoid being hit by the accelerating van.

Later the couple were walking to their car when Coates came out into his garden and threatened to cut their throats, the jury heard.

Miss Turner told the jury: ‘David went through the gate and he came back and he said: ‘He’s just threatened to slit my throat’ and I said: ‘I know I heard him.’

‘I heard him say: ‘I’ll slit your throat’. It was directed at both of us. I was worried because I believed that at the time he was bail for something and wasn’t supposed to contact to us.’

On a second occasion Mr Greenwood was walking down towards his greenhouse when Coates again swore at him and said: ‘You’re taking the f***ing p*ss.’

The trial continues.