A pair created a ‘rural hell’ for his or her neighbours over a decade-long row over a rustic lane – as soon as donning a balaclava to slash a pool wall to flood their backyard.
Retired plane engineer Stephen and Jacqueline Gee ran a ‘disgraceful and belligerent’ marketing campaign of terror towards Jason and Averil Little from their £900,000 farm in Puxey, close to Sturminster Newton, Dorset.
Mr Little, a adorned military main, and his spouse had been besieged by the Gees, who left their daughter terrified one in every of them would climb by means of their bed room window at evening.
The unhealthy blood was sparked over the usage of the entry highway between their farmhouse and the Littles’ dwelling.
Retired plane engineer Stephen Gee was given an enormous dressing down by the choose
Adorned military main Jason Little was one of many victims of the couple’s reign of terror
Stephen and Jacqueline Gee leaving Bournemouth Crown Courtroom of their automotive after the case
Supply drivers and guests can be verbally abused by the Gees, with one courier ordered to ‘get the f*** off my land’
They blocked off their entry with a gate and concrete bricks and even went to the difficulty of placing up faux indicators to misdirect guests to their property.
A court docket heard Mr Gee, 68, had been given a restraining order to stay away from the Littles in 2018 after he was convicted of inflicting legal injury to their outside swimming pool.
He wore a balaclava and snuck onto their property at evening to slash the pool with a knife, flooding their backyard. He was caught finishing up the act on CCTV.
Jason Little’s pool was attacked by Gee, who slashed the facet of it to flood their backyard garden
However somewhat than maintain the peace, the legal conviction solely led to Mr Gee’s resentment to deepen, a court docket heard.
He ‘put two fingers up’ on the courts by carrying on along with his behaviour.
Nigel Corridor, prosecuting, advised Bournemouth Crown Courtroom: ‘Mr and Mrs Little moved into Milk Home on Fairview Farm in 2012 with their two daughters.
‘There’s a monitor for entry to their property which they shared with the defendant. There was a historical past of unpleasantness between them.
‘In June 2016, Mr Gee went onto her property and utilizing one thing sharp slashed the facet of the swimming pool inflicting water to flood her backyard.
‘On account of that he was subjected to a restraining order.’
Gee was seen in a balaclava on CCTV skulking into the backyard to assault the backyard pool
A large gash was left within the facet of the pool after Gee went at it along with his huge weapon
The houses of Stephen and Jacqueline Gee (blue circle) and Jason and Averil Little (crimson circle) in North Dorset
Mr Corridor mentioned Mr Gee allowed his resentment to ferment for years till he started harassing the household once more in 2020
Mr Corridor added: ‘That they had been interfering with supply drivers and misdirecting individuals away from the Little’s property by placing up indicators and impeding their entry.
‘A supply driver was stopped as Mr Gee shut the gates. Mrs Gee additionally got here out and the driving force noticed them each being indignant and aggressive with Mrs Little.
‘In December 2020, concrete blocks had been pulled throughout the lane and indicators erected.
‘A good friend was taking care of Mrs Little’s cats and chickens in April 2021. As he got here down the monitor he got here throughout a gasoline supply truck and heard Mr Gee shouting, ‘get the f**ok off my land’.
‘Conditions like this saved occurring’.
Mr Corridor learn a press release by Mrs Little by which she mentioned her household felt like they had been residing in a ‘state of siege’ and that the harassment had impacted her psychological well being.
The mother-of-two mentioned: ‘Because the starting they’ve subjected us to a marketing campaign of harassment.
‘My kids are extraordinarily afraid of them and their canine. My elder daughter fears he’ll climb into her bed room window.
‘He was filmed creeping into the backyard carrying a balaclava. These sightings of him within the backyard has formed their childhood.
‘I fear continually for the protection of individuals visiting our property. They accuse us of making an attempt to kill their animals.
‘Their behaviour is so erratic its like continually residing underneath a state of siege. We’re a tough working, regulation abiding household.
‘This misery has precipitated me to have ongoing remedy for nervousness’.
Mr Little served within the military and wonon the Navy Cross for displaying inspirational management in battle in Afghanistan in 2008.
Mr Gee pleaded responsible to expenses of harassment and breaching a restraining order. Mrs Gee, 69, admitted harassment.
Mary Aspinall-Miles and Richard Martin, defending the Gees, each argued that their purchasers had a ‘legit concern’ about supply drivers and guests on the monitor that they personal.
Mr Martin, representing Mr Gee, mentioned: ‘The Gees personal the lane. Anyone that lives in a rural space and has the thrill of proudly owning a shared monitor is after all accountable for the up maintain of it and making good any injury to the floor.
‘There was a legit concern for the lane itself or the animals that may have escaped and the overall nuisance of supply drivers going up their lane.’
Mr Martin added that there was only a single incident by which Mr Gee breached his restraining order, and that he had since eliminated the gate within the lane.
Mrs Aspinall-Miles, defending Mrs Gee, mentioned that the lack of her earlier good character was a ‘badge of disgrace.’
She mentioned: ‘She isn’t a properly lady. She has led a life with out blame, devoted to animal welfare and rescue.’
Decide Richard Pawson mentioned the couple had acted ‘disgracefully’ and advised them to develop up.
He subjected them each to an indefinite restraining order. Mr Gee was given a 12 month jail sentence suspended for 2 years, whereas Mrs Gee’s 10 week sentence was suspended for a 12 months.
They had been fined a complete of £2,000 between them, plus a £3,000 sufferer surcharge.
He mentioned: ‘You’re each in your 60s. You’ve gotten behaved disgracefully. I’m not persuaded that there’s a correct motive for the grievance you nurse.
‘The background put ahead doesn’t come near explaining your belligerent and very disagreeable habits.
‘It’s the truth that the 2 of you, for causes unknown, have developed an obsession together with your regulation abiding neighbours.
‘You’ve gotten turned the place you reside right into a rural hell. You each knew full properly the affect of your actions and it’s the motive you had been so disagreeable.
‘The one factor that’s going to resolve the problem is that if you’ll be able to look inside yourselves and develop up’.
Decide Pawson put it to Mr Gee that the actual fact he was discovered responsible for damaging their swimming pool had made him really feel ‘much more resentful’, including: ‘Your resentment needs to be to your self.’
He blasted him for his ‘flagrant disregard’ of the restraining order imposed in 2018 and warned Mr Gee: ‘If there’s a breach, I’ll take care of you myself. You got here inside a whisker of jail right this moment.
‘You lack regret and proceed to disclaim the info of your conviction. You’ve gotten put two fingers as much as the court docket.’
