A vengeful neighbour who harassed a disabled man and threatened to ‘chop up’ his carers during a two-year campaign against him could be banned from ever stepping foot in his street again, a court heard this week.
Stephen Groves, 56, from Birmingham, could have to move out of his home after Birmingham City Council applied for an injunction against him entering Pear Tree Road, in Shard End, following his treatment of Steven Persaud, 61.
Video footage caught unemployed Groves attempting to damage Mr Persaud’s Ring doorbell with a claw hammer.
He was seen scrawling on the device with a marker pen, using a screwdriver on it and attempting to clip the wires.
Nightmare neighbour: Steven Groves, 56, from Birmingham, was caught on camera waging a two-year harassment campaign against a disabled resident, Steven Persaud, 61
In another clip, Groves was observed taking the hinges off a shared gate, which then fell rapidly towards him before he picked it up and repositioned it unscrewed.
Groves admitted three charges of harassment at Birmingham magistrates court in February, which led to him being handed a two-year restraining order, a 12-week electronic curfew, 20 days of probation and an order to pay £100 compensation to each of his three victims.
But further claims of threats and intimidation have now been made at a separate hearing, in which the council has applied for an injunction against him, Sunday People reports.
In one of the clips, Groves was seen banging a claw hammer on his neighbour’s Ring doorbell
Groves was seen repeatedly hitting the camera belonging to disabled resident Steven Persaud
Barrister Peter Saville, representing the council, told Birmingham county court that Groves had harassed not only his neighbour, but also his carers, who visit four times a day.
This behaviour resulted in Mr Persaud at times going without a carer, because they were ‘too frightened’ to enter his home.
In another clip, Groves unscrews the hinges on a shared gate – before it drops close to him
He lifts the gate back up, repositions it, but leaves the gate unscrewed for his neighbour
The council alleges that Grove used ‘derogatory language towards them which indicated aggression’ and would jump out at them.
He told one woman, ‘You are a f***ing rat,’ and allegedly told another he would ‘chop her up and put her in the f***ing bin.’
Mr Persaud’s niece, Victoria Riscinskis, 39, said: ‘It has been hell for my uncle. He is a disabled man and he just doesn’t need this added stress.’
Groves denied any wrongdoing.
A judge will decide whether to grant the injunction at a two-day hearing in September.
