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SPRAY AND DISMAY
Our neighbour from hell splashed our car with BLEACH in parking row over shared driveway
A COUPLE have told how their neighbour from hell splashed their car with BLEACH in a row over a shared driveway.
Gary Park and Matthew Kenyon, both 34, were targeted by Carey Styles who launched a seven-month campaign of intimidation.
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Styles, 42, has now been handed a six-month restraining order banning him from contacting the couple, in Widnes, Cheshire.
Their problems began last April, when Styles damaged Gary's BMW by by accidentally slamming his van door into it on their shared driveway.
Gary says he asked for £700 to cover his repair costs with an official BMW dealer - but Styles only offered £400 to get the work done at “backstreet” garage.
When Gary said he wanted to claim through his insurers, Styles called him a "gob*****" and refused to provide his insurance details, with police eventually becoming involved.
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Styles denies claims he refused to hand over his insurance - and claimed he had tried to call a "truce" before the matter went to court.
It triggered a series of incidents with Styles caught on CCTV hurling verbal abuse at the pair.
He also blocked them in their drive and cut them up on the road.
"There were a few incidents were he deliberately moved his car and van so he could park them outside our house," Gary said.
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"If we both arrived home at the same time, he would cut me up in the road and he also deliberately blocked in Matt’s van.
";Another time, he pushed Matt’s wing mirrors in."
In a bid to resolve their parking issues, the couple spent £4,500 fencing off parking spaces on the shared driveway.
Gary has since sold his BMW after Styles splashed it with bleach while he was jet-washing outside his home.
“My car had bleach marks all over it,” he said.
“The jet-wash went everywhere.
“I ended up getting rid of the BMW because I thought it would just get ruined.”
CCTV footage shows Styles shout: "Touch my bin again you little p****."
But he claims Matthew and Gary had "thrown his bin on its side in the driveway on purpose".
Gary and Matthew say Styles’ seven-month campaign of harassment has changed their behaviour - and they’re now more wary of going outside if he’s around.
“I feel like we’ve spent a fortune on this house to end up next door to him,” Gary said.
“He’s deliberately gone out of his way to intimidate us.”
Matthew said: "He’s been a nuisance and annoyance.
"I feel he wants us to retaliate so he can try to blame us but we won’t stoop to that level.
I feel like we’ve spent a fortune on this house to end up next door to him. He’s deliberately gone out of his way to intimidate us.
Gary Park
"I hope he leaves or gets forced out of his home by the housing association so our lives will be happier again.”
Styles pleaded guilty to two counts of non-violent harassment when he appeared in court earlier this month.
In addition to being handed the restraining order, he was fined £160 and ordered to pay a £34 surcharge and £85 prosecution costs
Court papers said no compensation was ordered because of the risk this would "inflame the situation".
Styles hit back, claiming he is not solely to blame for the disputes.
He said Gary and Matthew persistently parked outside his home, even when there was room elsewhere.
"My son is autistic and when we can’t park outside our home he gets really upset,” said Styles.
"But they still insist on parking their vehicles outside our house, which is 30m down the road, even when there’s plenty of room outside their own house.
"I’ve had to call the police a few times.
"Why would they do that if they were intimated or scared?"
Styles said he opted to plead guilty in court because he wanted to "draw a line" under the matter.
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"My wife is battling cancer,” he said.
"So that was playing on my mind a lot. I didn’t want to cause any more stress for her."
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