Nightmare Neighbour

[ciare]

I live in a property owned by the lovely (6) Southwark council and two weeks ago my upstairs neighbour chased my husband with a knive.

We reported it to the police who arrested my neighbour and kept him in overnight in the cells while assessing his mental health.

He has still not returned to the property so I guess he is in some kind of pyschatric unit, but I am sick with worry about what will happen if he comes back to his flat.

I have written to my local mp asking for advice, and am waiting for a reply from them.

I don't know if/when he will be back, and the waiting is making me ill.

I know both myself and my husband won't be able to stay here knowing he is so close, and not knowing what his mental health is.

My housing officer is useless as our the council, so really don't know who to turn to now.

I feel that now we will be his main target as we got him arrested and if they bring him back here it is just asking for trouble.

[womanofdulwich]

This sounds terrible, can't the police tell you anything else?

[ciare]

I think the police will inform us when he is released but further than that I don't think they will contact us.

My husband deleted :'( a voicemail which gave another number incase we wanted to find out whats happening, and I have told him to call them again to find out for certain what is happening, but he is adamant he won't. His attitude is that when he comes out he comes out. The police won't tell me anything as I wasn't the victim.

[DJKillaQueen]

Very sorry to hear this has happened to you ciare and I can understand your fear.

Your Housing Officer should at the very least, open a case for you and look at whether your neighbour upstairs is in breach of his tenancy agreement. If he has a mental health condition that precipitated the attack, then things become more complex. Eviction as a process takes months but they could move him. Alternatively they could move you.

The Police Officer dealing with your case should be able to give you an update of whether your neigbour is still in care/ custody and as to whether he has been or will be charged.

If he returns to his flat and threatens or harasses you, then you could also use the legal process to gain an injuction against your neighbour. This would force the council to take action too.

If you have a local residents association, go and speak with them. Someone there will have the ear of your local councillors, housing officer and other officials and will be able to get your worries taken seriously.

[Betterat50m]

If he has mental health issues, it may be that he had not taken his medication resulting in his actions, If he is now in hospital he should be fine on his return, long term he will be watched closely. What caused the situation to arise?

[ciare]

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Very sorry to hear this has happened to you ciare

> and I can understand your fear.

>

> Your Housing Officer should at the very least,

> open a case for you and look at whether your

> neighbour upstairs is in breach of his tenancy

> agreement. If he has a mental health condition

> that precipitated the attack, then things become

> more complex. Eviction as a process takes months

> but they could move him. Alternatively they could

> move you.

>

> The Police Officer dealing with your case should

> be able to give you an update of whether your

> neigbour is still in care/ custody and as to

> whether he has been or will be charged.

>

> If he returns to his flat and threatens or

> harasses you, then you could also use the legal

> process to gain an injuction against your

> neighbour. This would force the council to take

> action too.

>

> If you have a local residents association, go and

> speak with them. Someone there will have the ear

> of your local councillors, housing officer and

> other officials and will be able to get your

> worries taken seriously.

Hi, I have a new housing officer and she seems to be as bad as the last one. I called my former housing office the day after the incident and left two voicemails saying that I was terrified of returning to my home, she didn't call me until the following weekme back until the Monday(I called her Thursday)saying she left me a voicemail even though she didn't, and said that she had passed my details on to my new housing officer. I gave her a call last Monday and she didn't call me until Weds, and then left a voicemail asking me to give her a call. I have been away for a few days so will give her a call tomorrow and see what rubbish she comes out with.

I'm not sure I have a residents association, will check, have written to my mp and awaiting his reply.

[ciare]

Betterat50m Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If he has mental health issues, it may be that he

> had not taken his medication resulting in his

> actions, If he is now in hospital he should be

> fine on his return, long term he will be watched

> closely. What caused the situation to arise?

From what I know of him, he hasd never been on medication, was not even under a doctor for his problems. I really don't think he will be fine on his return. He and my husband are from the same country and the neighbour believes that someone from his country put something in his head, and my husband said he would try and get someone to help him, but because he didn't the neighbour got it into his head that we were brining evil spirits into his life????

He used to always sit by the window so can see you when you approach the communal door, and before you reach our door he could be out of his flat and down the stairs. He can be watched as closely as anything but that doesn't ease my mind.

[Sue]

Could you try contacting James Barber, who posts on this forum, to see if he could help?

He's a councillor and might be able to give your Housing Officer a push to deal with this more effectively.

[the-e-dealer]

Depends where you live who your local Councillors are but yes go to the Southwark Website contact them and expect action!