A traveller trying to build a gipsy site behind a row of residential houses without permission has been jailed for carrying out a campaign of harassment against neighbours.
Police said John Doherty thought he was ‘untouchable’ despite threatening officials and his neighbours whose sewage pipes he filled with concrete.
The 35-year-old from Overseal, Derbyshire, systematically intimidated people living close to his semi-detached home in Woodville Road.
John Doherty, 35, from Overseal, Derbyshire, systematically intimidated people living close to his semi-detached home. He filled his neighbours’ sewage pipes with concrete, dumped rubble on their driveways, verbally abused them and built walls to cover their windows
He verbally abused neighbours and built walls to cover their windows. When staff from the water board tried to sort out the problems he had caused he threatened them too.
Previously he admitted ‘accidentally’ flooding six neighbours’ homes after dumping tonnes of hardcore rubble onto the land behind the houses without permission.
But despite his threats neighbours were quick to help the local council put together a case against the man who believed he was above the law.
Now Doherty has been jailed for 38 weeks after being found guilty of harassment at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court.
He was also made the subject of a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order preventing him acting anti-socially, burning waste on outdoor fires, blocking access to vehicles and operating machinery on the land.
Doherty is caught on camera during his campaign of harassment against his neighbours
Doherty has been embroiled in a long-running row with South Derbyshire District Council after they turned down his plan to set up a five-pitch traveller site on the land. They have approved plans to build four homes there.
Councillors on the planning committee rejected the gipsy site scheme because they felt it could cause harm to the living conditions of neighbours due to the movement of commercial vehicles in and out of the site.
But Doherty appealed the decision and an independent Government inspector, Paul Dignan, later approved the plans.
He said since the building of four homes had already been approved for the site, he believed this would be noisier than a five-pitch traveller site with restrictions on commercial activity. The wrangle is still being decided.
However earlier this year Doherty moved tonnes of hardcore onto the land without permission and was issued with an enforcement notice by the district council requiring him to remove everything.
The rubble meant water was unable to drain away as it should and led to the neighbouring properties being flooded.
Magistrates found Doherty guilty of a year long campaign of harassment committed between April 28, 2016, and April 26, 2017,
Picture shows the ‘improvements’ made by Doherty on entrance to five-pitch traveller site
After the hearing Sergeant Graham Summers, from Swadlincote Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: ‘Doherty carried out his harassment campaign directed at his neighbours, including verbally abusing and threatening them, filling sewage pipes with concrete and building walls to cover their windows.
‘He tried to prevent Severn Trent Water from making repairs and due to this our officers were required to escort their staff.
‘This has been a difficult investigation due to the nature of this man’s attitude and tactics.
‘He thought that he was untouchable, but through a careful and diligent investigation by our officers the evidence was gathered and put to the court.
‘We worked closely with South Derbyshire District Council, who worked on the Criminal Behaviour Order and provided the information to the court.
‘This case highlights strong partnership working and how this can have positive results by bringing someone to justice.
‘He was very clever. He knew exactly what he was doing when trying to get away with some of his actions.
‘But the officers were good. Doherty’s neighbours were very keen to give evidence against him and see him be dealt with.’
The area of the proposed gypsy site in Overseal, Derbyshire, where Doherty planned to install a five-pitch traveller site and constantly intimidated neighbours making their life hell
Under the terms of his Criminal Behaviour Order, once he is released from jail Doherty must not act or encourage others to act in an anti-social manner.
And he must also dispose of controlled waste in a lawful manner and he is not permitted to have any outdoor fires on the land around his home address or use it to park heavy vehicles.
Pictured: Rubble left on the driveway of one neighbour is still visible on Google Maps