A businessman who waged a two-year campaign of harassment against his terrified neighbours after a dispute triggered by a pile of rubbish has received a suspended jail term and a five-year criminal behaviour order.
Peter Rushton, 43, was accused of abuse and harassment that included throwing glass at their detached house, smashing tiles and even damaging an aviary filled with love birds.
His victims claimed he also falsely accused the husband of being a paedophile and used a sophisticated CCTV system to follow their movements whenever they were outside, setting off alarms when he spotted them.
They were so distressed at their treatment that they moved from their home into a static caravan at one point.
The extraordinary flare-up happened at a peaceful semi-rural location in Southminster, Essex, where Rushton's neighbours – who asked not to be named - have lived for 20 years.
