Coventry Telegraph

£16,000 bill for noisy neighbour who played loud music for 32 HOURS

- By KATRINA CHILVER Nuneaton Reporter Katrina.Chilver@trinitymir­ror.com

A NOISY neighbour who played loud music for 32 hours straight has been slapped with one of the largest fines in a council’s history.

Jason Duffield has been hit with a legal bill of more than £16,000 after ignoring warnings and harassing his neighbours, and will now have his sound equipment destroyed. The North Warwickshi­re resident had previously been handed a restrainin­g order in 2016.

But that was not enough to deter him from playing his music loudly for long periods of time and causing distress to his neighbours in Dordon.

Duffield’s choices of music were hip-hop, urban and R&B. At times he would even leave his music playing when he left the house just to annoy his neighbours.

After complaints that he was con- tinuing to play loud music, North Warwickshi­re Borough Council issued a noise abatement notice in November 2016. Members of the Environmen­tal Health team also continued to monitor Duffield’s property and recordings revealed that he was playing music continuall­y for between 28 to 32 hours.

All of Duffield’s sound equipment was then confiscate­d in December after it was shown that he had breached the noise abatement order just a month after he was handed to him.

Steve Maxey, assistant chief executive and solicitor to the council 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.”

Duffield, of Hall End Cottages was convicted of five breaches of his noise abatement notice at Nuneaton Magistrate­s Court in April.

Then on May 9 at a sentencing hearing, he was given the hefty fine.

The £16,170 bill consists of a £10,000 fine, £6,000 investigat­ion and legal costs and a £170 victim surcharge. The court also imposed a Criminal Behaviour Order on Duffield and ordered that items seized by the borough council including TVs, a hi-fi and speakers should be destroyed.

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