The man appeared before Griffith Court last week, where details of the tree dispute were revealed. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
A Griffith man has been found guilty of a stalking/intimidation offence after a dispute with his neighbour but will not have a conviction recorded against his name.
The elderly man had lived on good terms next to his North Griffith neighbour for 10 years until the growth of a tree bordering his property fractured the relationship.
According to court documents, at around 8 am on Friday 5 December, the female neighbour returned home in her car from town and noticed the man walk up her driveway without her permission and hit the side of her vehicle.
He then walked towards the vehicle in the carport and physically stopped the roller door from coming down.
The man blamed his neighbour for a branch from the tree damaging his property after heavy winds the previous weekend.
He reportedly said, “Keep away from me cause I’ll f******* kill you” to the victim before returning to his home. There was no physical contact between the neighbours.
The female victim then went to Griffith Police Station to report the matter and showed CCTV footage of the incident to an officer. The footage provided police with clear audio and visuals of the incident.
At a court hearing on Friday (27 February), Magistrate Pauline Wright acknowledged there’d been a long-running dispute between the neighbours over the tree, but said it did not justify the type of language used by the accused man.
The magistrate acknowledged the man had a good record, had positive testimonials and had not committed any offences since a minor matter in 1991.
Magistrate Wright found the man guilty, but without proceeding to conviction and handed him a good behaviour bond for a period of six months to commence on 27 February and expire on 26 August.
An apprehended personal violence order for a period of two years was also made preventing the man from making contact with his female neighbour, unless that contact is through a lawyer.
Unfortunately, submissions close tomorrow but the consultation paper provides the proof of how much… View