A wealthy landowner has been accused of taking revenge on his poorer neighbour by developing an 8ft excessive wall of hay and straw bales with a purpose to block the picturesque view of the roaming fields. Stephen Bett, a former Police and Crime Commissioner, created the barrier after 95 leylandii bushes which he planted earlier have been torn down by an unknown particular person at evening.
The lengthy line of large spherical bales positioned on high of one another near his boundary covers all the 60ft width of the again backyard of his neighbour Maxine Turner’s bungalow. The wall has disadvantaged Mrs Turner, 78, of the view she beforehand had of the horses in Mr Bett’s parkland meadow in entrance of his 18th century mansion in Thornham, Norfolk.
Her son John Turner, 50, who lives along with his mom as her carer in the course of the week accused Mr Bett of placing up the bales as “an act of spite”.
However Mr Bett, 69, who was Norfolk’s impartial PCC from 2012 till 2016, insisted that he had solely erected them as a result of he didn't need to have a look at his neighbours “barbecuing and placing their washing out,” based on Mirror On-line.
Mr Turner, a component time gardener, stated: “It seems like he's blaming me for chopping down his leylandii as a result of I'm one of many youngest folks round right here - however I didn’t do it.
“He has solely positioned the bales exterior my mom’s house and never any of the opposite neighbour’s homes as a result of he needed to upset us.
“Mr Bett has a whole bunch of acres of farmland and he might have put them anyplace - however he selected to place them right here. My mom has a number of sclerosis and macular degeneration so her eyesight is failing.
“Searching on the horses on the meadow was an actual pleasure for her - however now all she will be able to see is that this wall made from straw. She has lived right here for 40 years and has by no means seen something prefer it. Till now the bales all the time was once elsewhere on his land.”
Mr Turner stated Mr Bett upset locals round three years in the past by planting a strip of leylandii bushes near his border to display his view of round 4 properties, together with his mom’s three bed room bungalow, in a cul de sac referred to as Shepherds Pightle.
The road of conifers which began off as 18 inch excessive saplings grew to a top of about 10 ft earlier than 95 of them have been hacked down by a thriller attacker on the evening of July 2.
Mr Bett’s workers responded by constructing a wall from bales reverse Mrs Turner’s backyard, stacked on their ends on high of each other to initially type a 11ft-high barrier.
Mr Turner was enraged to see the wall and stormed spherical to Mr Bett’s Thornham Corridor mansion to complain.
He admits that he misplaced his mood when speaking to a 25-year-old housekeeper who was on the home whereas Mr Bett was on vacation.
Mr Turner stated he went again and knocked down the wall by toppling excessive bales which weighed round 600lbs every.
However Mr Bett has since rebuilt it, utilizing a digger to place the bales on their sides so the construction is barely decrease at round 8ft excessive and extra sturdy, making it virtually not possible to knock over.
Mr Turner instructed how he confronted Mr Bett within the village store, and demanded to know why he had constructed it.
He stated: “I instructed him that I had not lower his leylandii down and it was nothing to do with me.
“I requested him what he was taking part in at, and he replied that he was fed up at our washing when he was driving down his drive.
“I questioned why he was immediately doing it now when he had been utilizing his driveway for years, and he regarded like he was going to blow up with rage.”
Mr Turner stated he had since acquired a letter from Mr Bett, saying that he was going to replant his bushes, and erect a fence with “different extra covert safety” to guard them.
His letter added: “We'd now appear to have a ‘neighbour dispute’. I consider you have been considering of promoting your mom’s home in the end.
“You'll little doubt inform the promoting brokers of this problem as such issues are disclosable by legislation with regards to promoting a home as of late.”
Mr Turner stated he regarded the letter as threatening him by warning that the worth of his widowed mom’s home could possibly be hit, saying police visited him and warned him about his confrontation with Mr Bett’s housekeeper.
Mr Bett whose father Frank, 89, died two years in the past, added: “I simply noticed pink once I noticed this pile of bales. It took numerous effort to push them over.
“The horses came to visit to open up a number of the bales on the bottom and eat a number of the hay - however now they're again once more.
“The police got here spherical after I spoke to Mr Bett’s housekeeper, and so they didn’t actually need to get entangled. They simply suggested me to not do something.
“The officer stated he thought the entire thing was a bit foolish and he didn't need it to go any additional. The officer requested the way it could possibly be reconciled, and I stated it could possibly be completed if Mr Bett moved the bales.
“The very fact is that he's attempting to intimidate me out of spite. My mom is completely devastated. She will be able to’t consider that is taking place.”
Mr Turner stated he was additionally instructed by North Norfolk District Council that Mr Bett was entitled to place his bales the place he needed on his 2,000 acres of land.
He added: “The police say there may be nothing they will do as a result of it's not against the law. They are saying there is no such thing as a legislation towards being vindictive.”
Mr Bett, who was Norfolk’s impartial PCC between 2012 and 2016, stated: “This all occurred once I was in a foreign country in France.”
He confirmed that he had reported the lack of his 95 leylandii bushes to police, however officers had instructed him nothing could possibly be completed because it was not identified who was accountable.
Mr Bett stated “They stated that until we might show who had completed it, there was nothing they might do. It's comprehensible as a result of it was completed in the course of the evening.
“It was completed in entrance of his (Mr Turner’s) property. I do not know whether or not he did it or not, and I don’t know who did it, nevertheless it was completed.”
Mr Bett added: “The police have been referred to as as he got here spherical and was extraordinarily abusive and intimidating to a younger girl working for us who had no concept what he was speaking about.
“My son discovered her in floods of tears and all of the doorways locked in the home due to his actions.
“So far as Mr Turner is anxious, he has no proper to a view. It’s on our property He thinks he's entitled to a view, however he isn't.
“To be sincere, I don’t notably need to see these folks of their gardens, barbecuing and placing their washing out.
“They've lower down their hedges to get a view, however it's not a very good view for me. Why ought to I've to take a look at what they're doing?
“Their privateness doesn’t appear to curiosity them, however I choose privateness, so I put a hedge up, and that’s been lower down.”
Mr Bett stated he had merely identified to Mr Turner that potential house consumers had to be told of any neighbourhood disputes by anybody promoting a property.
He denied that his letter was a menace, and insisted that he was simply “stating a reality”.
He added: “There may be nothing a lot to say. He desires a view over my property, however I don’t need to look over his property.
“He has lower down his hedge which he's fairly entitled to do. I wouldn’t try to cease him.
“However to say, I'm spoiling his view is completely flawed. I'm defending my view. It's my property. Why shouldn’t I?
“He has hedges down the facet of his property subsequent to his neighbours. Why does he do this?
“We have now obtained a roadway coming all the way down to our home and we actually don’t need to have a look at what different persons are doing of their gardens.”
A Norfolk Police spokesperson stated: “Police have been referred to as to experiences of legal harm to bushes in a single day on Saturday July 2.
“The incident occurred at a property off Corridor Lane, Thornham. Following an investigation, all strains of enquiry have been exhausted pending any additional info.
“The sufferer has been knowledgeable and crime prevention recommendation given.”
Mr Bett was on the centre of controversy as Norfolk’s first PCC when it was revealed that he had been claiming bills of £43.20 for each 96 mile spherical journey he made between his house and the Norfolk Police HQ at Wymondham.
He claimed he was entitled to the money as he was utilizing his house as his official workplace.
However he agreed to pay again all of the £3,024 he had claimed on the charge of 45p a mile for 70 spherical journeys between November 2012 and August 2013 as he didn't need to “tarnish” the picture of Norfolk Police.
Mr Bett insisted he had completed nothing flawed, however stated he wouldn't be making future claims for journeys between his house and the police HQ the place his 15 workers have been based mostly.
He was cleared of dishonesty and located to not have dedicated a legal act after an investigation by the Metropolis of London Police beneath the route of the Unbiased Police Complaints Fee.
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