An ASBO pensioner who has terrorised neighbours for the last 15 years is facing prison – after he sang ‘Oh What a Beautiful Morning’ outside their homes.
Richard Dawe, 76, also threatened a neighbour saying he was going to ”get him” and called another woman living nearby ”slit eyes”.
He had previously sang ‘Everything’s Going My Way’ by The Queers and Tom Jones’ ‘My Delila’, used his sheep dogs to herd an elderly resident and once goose-stepped up an ant hill shouting ”The Don rules”.
The sheep farmer admitted breaching an ASBO banning him from causing his neighbours fear or distress on THREE occasions between August 14 and December 29, 2008.
He was warned at Hereford Crown Court he will be jailed if he continues to break the 15-year ASBO he first received in 2000.
Judge John Cavell said: ”The last thing a court wants to do is to commit a man of 76 in poor health to custody.
”But those who live next door to him are entitled to right and proper behaviour. All he has to do is behave like a normal person.
”If he continues to behave the way that he has done the only way to stop it is to put him into custody.
”All he has to do is behave like a reasonable, normal neighbour and allow his neighbours to live their lives without the constant abuse and threats that they’ve endured in the past.”
The court heard Dawe had lived at his bungalow in the idyllic village of Castlemorton, near Malvern, Worcs., with wife Joy, 78, since 1939.
But problems started when Janet and James Schooling, both in their 40s, moved into a cottage up a gravel track 180 metres (600ft) from Dawe’s home in the mid-90s.
Melvin Snookes, 69, and his wife Vivian, 68, also moved into a house next door to the Schoolings in 1997.
Dawe, who served with the Royal Engineers and fought in the Suez Crisis in 1956, admitted taking an ”instant dislike” to both couples.
On one occasion he called Mr Schooling a ”scum bag” and told him his house looked like ”a tart’s boudoir” after he fixed a beaded curtain over the door.
Dawe became one of the first people in Britain to receive a 15-year ASBO in March 2000 which was later reduced on appeal to 10 years.
But in August that year he was jailed for 12 months after he was convicted of four breaches of the original ASBO.
Dawe was convicted of using his sheep dogs to herd elderly resident Derek Clifton and urging them to bark at the terrified pensioner.
He was also found guilty of making peacock noises outside Mrs Schooling’s kitchen window in a bid to drown out her radio.
Dawe also drove his car at Mr Snookes in a bid to scare and intimidate him.
In 2004 magistrates slapped him with another ASBO which he broke and in October 2005 he was sent to prison again for 12 months.
A week-long trial heard Dawe was the ”neighbour from hell” terrorising his neighbours on an almost daily basis.
On one occasion he goose-stepped up an ant hill while shouting ”The Don rules”.
He also attacked another elderly woman neighbour by hitting her with his walking stick when she challenged him over his behaviour.
On top of his prison sentence Dawe was slapped with his fourth ASBO which banned him from walking along a public path between his neighbour’s properties.
But on Monday he was back before the court where he admitted three breaches of his latest ASBO.
Six other breaches of the ASBO, which Dawe did not plead to, were ordered to lie on file.
The court heard Dawe threatened long-suffering neighbour Mr Snookes on August 14, 2008 warning him: ”I’ll get you for your gutter sniping comments at my hearing.”
On October 12 that year he sang outside the Schooling’s home, belting out ”Oh What a Beautiful Morning” in the middle of the afternoon.
He then belted out at the top of his voice ”Everything’s Going My Way” by The Queers and Tom Jones’ ”My Delila”.
On December 19 he confronted Mrs Schooling and called her ”slit eyes”.
Dawe was granted bail until sentencing next month on the condition that he stayed away from the Schooling and the Snookes families.
After the hearing, his traumatised neighbours branded Dawe ”evil”.
Mrs Schooling said: ”Life has been an absolute nightmare living near him for the last 20 years. Call him eccentric, call him old, call him evil.
”He’s just been very unpleasant to have as a neighbour. There have been so many time that he has done silly things that we’ve lost count.
”He’ll shout and sing and call his dogs names so that we can hear. All we want is some peace and quiet. We’re not vindictive, we don’t want him to go to prison, we just want to get on with our lives.”
But speaking outside court, Dawe was unrepentant claiming he was the victim of ”petty parish politics”.
He said: ”I’ve been a valuable member of the community all my life.
”But the neighbours have ganged up on me because they want that corner of the street to themselves. I’ve been victimised by them.
”I like to sing and I just let out whatever tunes come into my head. It’s all just petty parish politics.”
don’t believe a word this old man says. he’s nothing but a bully feigning victim and he deserves to go to prison. I have a neighbour who is 62 and she is terrorising and stalking me, but then claiming victim when I complain. she makes life unbearable here. some people get off on this because they are bullies and have no other life. she also has a Staffordshire pit bull terrier and she encourages him to bark and growl