Abusive neighbour given jail let-off

AN Oldham man who hurled abuse at his neighbour and slashed his tyres escaped jail yesterday as a judge gave him one last chance.

Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, was told that there had been a dispute between Martin Kenny (24), and his neighbours the Bailey family who lived on Cardwell Street, Oldham. Following an incident some months earlier where Mr Bailey had accidentally knocked off Kenny’s wing mirror, the court heard that in the early hours of October 31, last year, Kenny was spotted on the property’s CCTV throwing a brick at the car windscreen before returning a short time later in his boxer shorts doing a “stabbing motion” at the car tyres.

Kenny, of Harrow Avenue, Hollins, Oldham, was in breach of a suspended sentence for possession of an offensive weapon. In January, Kenny and his sister then hurled abuse towards Mr and Mrs Bailey in the street.

Kenny pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage and using threatening behaviour.

Mr David Farley, defending, said that his client had in fact thrown his takeaway at the car on his way home from a night out, and had returned and taken the valve out of the car tyre. He added, “He knows it is unacceptable and he apologises for it. He shouldn’t have done it.”

He said Kenny had since moved from the street and there was no longer any dispute.

Kenny was given a 12-month community order, with 160 hours’ unpaid work.

Sentencing him, Judge Adrian Smith said, “You were really asking to go to prison.

“It may well be that this is all over with now, hopefully this business is something that you can put behind you.

“This is your last chance really.”