A nightmare neighbor who terrorized the couple residing above her by their Ring doorbell has been jailed for greater than three years.
Drina Grey, 52, harassed victims Ben and Emma – who don’t wish to give their surnames – “morning, midday and evening,” a choose stated.
Ben, 32, purchased his first flat in Wandsworth, southwest London, in 2022.
However when council tenant Grey moved into the flat beneath his the next April, his life modified.
After reporting her for kicking her canine – which he says he caught on CCTV cameras – Grey launched right into a “relentless” marketing campaign that made Ben and his companion Emma prisoners in their very own residence.
Within the months that adopted, Ben’s neighbor smashed two Ring doorbells in lower than a 12 months, issued common chilling threats through cameras and took her canine to soiled their doorstep.
The product supervisor even misplaced his job at a startup firm due to the shortage of sleep he was getting as a consequence of Grey blasting loud music and hovering the communal hallway within the early hours of the morning.
Numerous disturbing movies captured by Ben’s cameras present Grey shouting, swearing and threatening him.
After Grey was lastly prosecuted for her marketing campaign of hate and a choose ordered her into custody, she escaped from courtroom and went on the run for weeks.
She claimed that Ben had been utilizing her as “bait” to make his 31-year-old companion Emma, who additionally lives on the flat, jealous after a break-up.
However jailing her for 40 months, Choose Peter Lodder KC advised her she had harassed the couple “morning, midday and evening.”
“You made the lives of your neighbors hell,” he stated. “You persistently harassed them morning, midday and evening.
“Regardless of orders being obtained to hunt to stop you from behaving in the way in which you probably did, you continued in your marketing campaign.
“It could be that you simply have been drunk, however that isn’t an excuse – it’s an aggravation.
“It’s no comfort in any respect to the folks you have been threatening with excessive violence.
“This was over a interval of six months. You properly knew what you have been doing.”
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Choose Lodder jailed Grey for 40 months after she admitted fees of harassment meant to place in concern of violence, two fees of legal harm referring to doorbell cameras she smashed and a public order offense of utilizing threatening phrases and habits in the direction of Ben.
An additional cost of failing to adjust to a neighborhood safety discover was handled by means of a two-year conditional discharge at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court docket in June.
Ben, who claims he recorded “140” separate incidents of harassment over 18 months, has complained beforehand of the way in which Grey’s case was handled by the authorities, together with by the Metropolitan Police, Wandsworth Council and the courtroom companies.
He claims that when Grey as soon as threatened to “shoot” him and his companion Emma, who works in advertising, police took “13 hours” to reply.
Court docket instances involving Grey have been adjourned a number of occasions earlier than she was lastly sentenced for her offending.
Prosecutor Dylan Bub, outlining the information of the case, advised the courtroom: “The sufferer and defendant are neighbors – they stay in the identical block.
“The defendant moved into the underside flat in April 2023.
“Because the defendant moved into her property, she engaged in a marketing campaign of harassment in opposition to [Ben].”
Bub defined that although the primary 12 months handed with out incident, Ben put in cameras at his property after Grey stole two parcels from outdoors his door.
In Could 2024, he stated Grey broke the primary of two Ring doorbell cameras – which value $137 every – by punching it “repeatedly.”
Bub advised the courtroom that after Ben reported Grey’s harassment to police, she continued to make threats – together with as soon as threatening to burn his home down.
He continued: “[Gray said]: ‘It’s not me it’s a must to fear about, it’s Chris… We’d like a pleasant hearth, don’t we?’.”
Grey was issued a neighborhood safety discover later in the summertime, which the courtroom heard she broke that very same day.
As soon as arrested and charged, Grey’s case dragged by the courts, being adjourned a number of occasions for quite a lot of causes.
On one event, Grey absconded from courtroom after the case was adjourned, prompting a determined police search and a warrant for her arrest.
However after she was finally caught and introduced earlier than a crown courtroom choose, the prosecutor stated “no proof” had been supplied by police, and the cost was dropped.
Ben advised Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court docket that Grey’s abusive marketing campaign had left him feeling “embarrassed, humiliated, numb” and even “suicidal”.
In his witness assertion, written final December, he stated: “To place it merely, this example has utterly taken over my life.
“What ought to have been a cheerful and thrilling time for me – proudly owning and residing in my first residence – has was a residing nightmare.
“I don’t really feel protected in my own residence anymore and stay in a state of numbness brought on by nervousness and despair.
“As a substitute of being a spot the place I can loosen up and unwind, it’s a spot the place I’m consistently on edge, ready for the subsequent abusive episode from Miss Grey.
“Daily I really feel trapped, understanding she’s proper beneath me, able to scream abuse at me, make threats and repeatedly taunt me and my companion.
“Her threats in the direction of me are terrifying. She commonly shouts that individuals are ready to ‘break my legs’ or ‘reduce my throat’.
“These outbursts come out of nowhere, utterly unprovoked, and go away me shaken and scared.
“There have been a number of occasions when I’ve known as the police as a result of threats to kill and haven’t left my property by concern.
“I can’t bear in mind the final time I felt comfortable. Many days I’ve simply felt hopeless and numb.
“I’ve change into very withdrawn and stopped doing the issues I used to get pleasure from as a result of I’ve misplaced the power and motivation.
“My household has seen an enormous change in my character. The state of affairs has even impacted my relationship with my companion.
“In the summertime of 2024, issues turned so insufferable that I’d keep away from coming residence altogether and stick with mates.
“At evening, I now must put on earplugs and activate a fan simply to try to drown out the noise of shouting, swearing and continuous abuse.
“The fixed stress has additionally taken a toll on my bodily well being. I’ve been sleep-deprived due to Miss Grey’s shouting and abusive habits, which finally ended up in me shedding my job.
“Fortunately, I’ve managed to discover a new job with understanding employers, but it surely doesn’t change the truth that I’m nonetheless coping with this nightmare daily.
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“The stress and lack of sleep go away me bodily drained on a regular basis. I really feel embarrassed and caught.
“I really feel like I’ve no means out, which has led to suicidal ideas earlier than I used to be taking my remedy.
“This case has left me feeling damaged – mentally, bodily and emotionally.
“I really feel like my life has been on pause for 18 months due to Miss Grey’s actions.
“I’ve misplaced my peace of thoughts, my well being, my job, and even the power to get pleasure from my residence.
“I simply wish to really feel protected and regular once more.”
After studying the identical impression assertion at a magistrates’ courtroom look earlier this month, Ben added that he and his companion had been “failed” by each authority.
“I’ve misplaced full religion in all the public companies which are there to guard us,” he stated.
“This case has been adjourned 5 occasions. Each time you adjourn for 4 or 5 weeks, it’s only a quantity for you… However for me and my companion, it’s desirous about it evening after evening.
“The police, the courts… Everybody has failed us.”
Grey learn a private letter to the choose out in courtroom, by which she apologized for her actions but additionally claimed Ben had used her as “bait” to make his companion ‘jealous’.
Her defence advocate, Tammy Sher, additionally advised the courtroom a number of automotive accidents had pushed her to alcohol, and that she too has suffered from suicidal ideas.
However Choose Lodder stated she “deserved” her sentence, telling her: “You got many a warning. You selected to disregard these warnings and breach the notices that have been served upon you.
“I’m conscious of the implications of your habits: [the victims] have been frightened in their very own houses, incapable of stress-free.
“You induced in them panic assaults and sleep deprivation.
“[Ben] misplaced his job, however thankfully obtained one other.
“I can wholly perceive why he says he turned suicidal in his pondering and determined, since you ignored council and courtroom orders.
“It’s vital that [Ben] stated, ‘I simply wish to really feel protected and regular once more’.
“His companion has had related experiences. [She has had] to witness the have an effect on on her companion.
“You’ve 18 convictions for 40 offences. Your offending has been aggravated by alcohol.
“For my part, you deserve a sentence of 40 months’ imprisonment.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service stated: “Drina Grey carried out herself appallingly, and we lengthen our sympathies to her sufferer, who endured an unrelenting marketing campaign of harassment.
“The defendant admitted to quite a few offences – together with harassment and legal harm – following a Met investigation. She awaits sentencing for these.
“Adjournments in case hearings are on the discretion of the courts. A cost of escaping from courtroom on Wednesday, 26 March, was initially introduced in opposition to Grey by the Met.
“Nevertheless, this was later discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service.”
Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, a WBC Cupboard member for housing, stated he accepted the authority may have acted sooner following Ben’s severe complaints about his neighbor.
“Wandsworth Council takes crime and anti-social habits (ASB) very critically, and we work with companions to each assist residents and to take the suitable motion in opposition to these accountable,” he stated.
“This can be a complicated case the place housing officers have been working carefully with plenty of completely different companies, together with the Police, to resolve the matter.
“An ASB Case Evaluation was accomplished and proposals have been made, with the neighborhood security workforce partaking with the affected neighbors.
“Following the current legal listening to, the Council have obtained an injunction to stop this particular person returning to the property and we’re persevering with to hunt possession of this property.
“We settle for that we may have acted extra swiftly, and following this case modifications are being made to our ASB case administration system to make sure the suitable actions are taken extra promptly and that complainants are stored up to date.
“Council officers have met with the people affected to debate what additional assist could possibly be supplied.”
