Inadequate neighbor terrorized family for a year and a half (8 photos + 1 video)
Category: Interesting photo stories, PEGI 0+
Yesterday, 18:36
A London woman terrorized her neighbors for a year and a half. Ben, who did not want to give his last name, bought a flat in Wandsworth, in the southwest of the British capital, back in 2022. The 32-year-old man's problems began in April of the following year, when Drina Gray moved into the flat below. CCTV recorded the 51-year-old woman kicking her dog, and Ben reported it to law enforcement. From that moment on, Gray began to take revenge. 
Ben and his partner Emma became prisoners in their own home. Drina Gray smashed doorbell cameras three times in a year, threatened her neighbors, and let her dog defecate on their doorstep.
According to the product manager, he even lost his job at a startup because Gray played loud music and vacuumed the common hallway early in the morning, and he couldn't get enough sleep.
In the videos recorded by Ben's cameras, Gray screams, swears, and threatens him.
Last month, a court ordered the woman to be taken into custody, but she escaped and went into hiding for several weeks. She was found, and a sentence will be handed down next month.
Drina Gray called Ben and Emma at night, insulted them, and threatened them
When a new neighbor moved into the apartment, Ben decided to be polite and introduce himself. He offered to help if she needed anything. At first, everything was fine, although the woman turned on loud music at night. But there was nothing aggressive or dangerous in her behavior.
"I asked Gray to turn down the music. But she turned it on again and again. And she did this every night. She was looking after pets, and there were four dogs that were barking and howling. Compared to the threat of death, it was not as scary, but still terrible."
Six months after moving in, Ben accused Gray of cruelty to the dog to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). The situation quickly escalated.
More mischief
"She knew it was on my CCTV camera, which I had installed because she was stealing my parcels. That's when it all started. She was three metres away from us at all times, and we had to walk past her door to leave the house."
"The neighbour threatened to set our flat on fire, attack us and warned Emma to look behind her when she came home alone. She brought the dogs to relieve themselves on our rug."
"She used the cameras as a means of communicating with us. She would often call at two or three in the morning. She also broke three cameras," the Briton complained.
"Last year we decided to have a barbecue but she lit a fire in the garden. We had to call the fire brigade because of it."
The man has repeatedly made complaints to Wandsworth Borough Council and the Metropolitan Police. When Gray threatened to shoot him and Emma, a 30-year-old marketing worker, it took 13 hours for police to respond.
The family has counted more than 200 similar incidents over the past 18 months.
Gray in her neighbour's garden
In December, Drina admitted threatening the family and destroying property. The offender was released on bail and went on the run.
Ben claims the case was adjourned twice due to police and council errors.
"They knew she was going to be a nightmare - she'd been evicted twice before. She threatened to shoot us once... It took the police 13 hours to respond to a call. I understand why people take extreme measures and take the law into their own hands," the victim said.
"The lack of sleep was taking a toll on my mental health. I couldn't sleep at all because of the noise and the threats. I had a management position and I couldn't hold meetings because I was so tired and exhausted. I lost my job last summer."
Scotland Yard said Gray had been tracked down and taken into custody: "A 51-year-old woman was detained on Stratton Drive, SW17, at approximately 5.30am on Friday 14 February. She was arrested for breaching bail conditions."
Ben installed the cameras after suspecting his neighbor was stealing his packages. One day, he found clothes from an order under the stairs, all the labels cut off
