2nd
Jun 2017
Landlord Jason Duffield has been slapped with a £16,000 fine for anti-social behaviour even though it was his tenant who constantly tortured the neighbours by playing excessively loud rave music in 36 hourly shifts.
Duffield's tenant did not bother to stay to face the music and moved out shortly afterwards without leaving any trace of his intended whereabouts. Jason will be launching an appeal against the fine and is desperately trying to contact his ex-tenant.
Jason said: "I honestly can’t put into words how I feel about it. It’s made me sick with worry and I have no idea how I will pay the fine."
Neighbours lives were made hell as they had to complain time after time about the tenant blasting out tunes like Stardust’s Music Sounds Better With You and American Dream by Jakarta for 36 hours at a time.......well there's no accounting for taste.
Duffield lives in Birmingham and has never lived in the property that he rented out in Tamworth, Staffs, and following the court's decision he has sold the house.
Police gave the hapless landlord a restraining order in 2016 because of the excessive noise from the Tamworth property. He was later handed an abatement notice from the North Warwickshire Borough Council.
Finally the council's officials entered the property and seized stereo equipment and televisions, which included some of Duffield's possessions as the property was furnished.
Duffield said: "I will fight it all the way but it’s just so much extra stress. To get blamed for something I have not done is completely crazy.
"Even in court, the solicitors and the people next door said they had not seen me at the house.
"I warned the tenant, who said he does play music but not very loudly. The next thing I knew the police had come in and seized goods from the property."
The Magistrates' Court found Jason guilty of five breaches of the Noise Abatement Notice and was ordered to pay a £10,000 fine as well as £6,000 council's costs together with £170 in surcharges.
The council's assistant chief executive and solicitor Steve Maxey said: "This fine reflects the severity of the offence.
"Jason Duffield repeatedly ignored the warnings from the police and from the council, which not only constituted a flagrant breach of the law but also caused undue distress and upset to his neighbours in Dordon."
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