Punched washing machine was last straw for retirees
BOURNEMOUTH, England — A group of retirees in an apartment complex here has launched a petition to evict their 69-year-old neighbor because of his temper.
The most recent incident earlier this month involved David Rae and a broken washing machine.
“I put a note on the machine to say it was out of order so that the other residents didn’t try and use it,” said Paul Prince, 74. Rae came in, attempted to use the machine and Prince pointed out the note.
“In response I was subject to the foulest verbal abuse I have ever experienced in my life," Prince said. “He started to hit and punch the machines and turned around to face me with his fists raised. He was scaring me to death."
Prince backed out of the confrontation using his 31 years of karate experience and closed the laundry door on Rae. Prince reported the incident to Dorset County police, but officials said they had insufficient evidence to cite Rae.
Rae, whom the Daily Echo attempted to contact on numerous occasions, could not be reached for comment.
Unbeknownst to Prince, the outburst was not the first time Rae had come to blows with his neighbors.
In June, Rae was found guilty of punching his elderly neighbor Stanley Smith after Rae found him watering hanging baskets with a hose in June 2014 rather than a sprinkler nozzle in the communal gardens of the Fenwick Court apartment complex. Smith had to be hospitalized, and photos of Smith's bruised and bloodied head were shown in court.
Rae was sentenced to 18 months last year on that charge, but he doesn't have to serve the time if he commits no further offenses within a specified time, generally no more than three years. He lost his appeal in September and had to pay £400 court costs, about $575, and £100, almost $150, in compensation to Smith.
Before that assault, Rae's car had been vandalized and he suspected his neighbors. Rae also had received a letter from them saying he had an attitude problem and that he should "take his negativity somewhere else."
This time, fellow Fenwick Court resident Brian Loton, 82, launched a petition following the most recent incident to oust Rae, and so far around half of the residents at the complex have signed.
“It’s such a shame because Fenwick Court is one of the nicest places to live in Bournemouth, but it is being ruined by this issue," Loton said. Bournemouth is a seaside community of almost 200,000 on the English Channel about 100 miles southwest of London, and the apartments are less than 3 miles from the water. “We are all retired people who are just trying to enjoy a peaceful life, but unfortunately a number of residents who live here are now dubious about using the laundry room."
Loton has contacted Bournemouth Borough Council on the matter.
“We took legal action in the past to try and resolve these, but there are no recent incidents that we are aware of that require a similar course of action," said Seamus Doran, the council's tenancy services manager. “However, we will be working to try and resolve this situation within the near future.”
Contributing: Alex Winter, (Bournemouth, England) Daily Echo. Follow Kate Wilson on Twitter: @KateWilson_echo