Residents feeling let down
“NOTHING is being done, we’re completely living in limbo.”
Those are the words of a resident of Yeats Heights who said he and fellow residents are enduring ongoing harassment and anti social behaviour by a neighbour in the estate.
The man at the centre of complaints recently received fines in court for trespassing and for public order offences in Yeats Heights last year, and was told by Judge Kevin Kilrane that if he continued the behaviour he would go to prison.
Although the residents are in fear of the man, their ire is firmly directed towards the HSE and mental health services who, they believe, are not engaging fully with the man.
The 44 year old man lives in a house in the estate rented for him by the HSE for the past 14 years.
Speaking to The Sligo Champion, the resident said he and neighbours have experienced sustained harassment by the man.
“He has trespassed on my property and it’s only a matter of time before he does damage to himself or others.”
At earlier court appearances this year Judge Kilrane noted that the man was scaring his neighbours, hiding in bushes and putting them in fear.
The resident, who is aged in his 60s, told The Sligo Champion that though the man was told if he continued his behaviour he would go to prison, the harassment has continued, with gardaí being called five times over the past week.
“The gardaí have attended and warned him but once they leave the area he is out the window shouting again. What’s going on is horrifying, everyone is passing the book. We’ve written to the HSE and received no response. It’s the lack of care and a classic case of people doing nothing.” Residents say they’re at their ‘wits’ end’. “He has a key worker and they told me to ‘ turn a blind eye’, it’s not good enough. I’m 65 and retired, I shouldn’t have to put up with this.
Last night he was out [verbally] abusing me at 10pm at night.”
The resident has said things have got considerably worse over the past 12 months and though the man has even spent a week in prison for his behaviour things have only continued to get worse. Asked what residents would like to happen, the resident says he and others want the HSE and mental health services to step in and engage with the man.
“We’ve had no word from the HSE and other services.
“The landlord of the house has contacted the HSE about this, the house has been damaged and the landlord doesn’t have a key for the property, he has heard nothing back. Nothing is being done and we’re in complete limbo.”
At an early court appearance this year, a HSE worker told Judge Kilrane the man was cocooning due to Covid-19 and was ‘finding it tough’.
His legal representative told the court his client had not drank since an earlier incident this year and spends his money on gaming equipment.