Tenant is banned from own flat after human poo found on communal doorstep
A HUMAN poo on the communal doorstep of a city address was just one of the reasons a closure order banning a tenant from entering his own flat for three months has been granted by magistrates.
The order will prevent Simon Mason, 41, who is a tenant in Welford Road, Leicester, from entering the property at all for three months.
He will need to find alternate accommodation in the meantime, the council has said.
A number of allegations were made as part of the council’s case to enforce the closure. They included alleged drug-dealing with accounts of people asking for mamba at the address, fights, shouting and swearing.
A hearing at Leicester Magistrates’ Court was told that on one occasion a window was smashed in the early hours of the morning, and other residents claimed they and their children had been threatened by visitors to Mr Mason’s address.
Mr Mason repeatedly denied any knowledge of any of the alleged incidents and said he was not responsible for the excrement or urine found by neighbours on the doorstep.
He said: “I’m not being funny but I had to step over it too. It was disgusting.
“My toilet is about six foot from where it was, why would I do that on my own doorstep?”
A Leicestershire Police officer appearing as a witness confirmed police had obtained a warrant and searched the property but found no evidence of drug dealing and no further action was taken.
Pc Becky Radford said drug paraphernalia had been recovered.
It was also put to Mr Mason: “A man named Jesus came to the address, he asked for Mamba Mason, is that you? Do you know a man called Jesus?”
“I don’t know anything about it,” he said.
The council also alleged that the tenant was responsible for tipping off friends that people would be attending the address with cash.
They said police had been called when a woman had been robbed on the way to the property.
He again denied the allegation and alleged a neighbour had made up the incidents in an attempt to orchestrate her own move out of the flats.
“She’s got four kids, a partner, dogs and they were all living in a bedsit, I don’t blame her for wanting to move but she’s made it all up,” he told the bench.
Mr Mason claimed that all of the problems discussed were related to another flat in the same property which is also subject to a closure order.
He said that loud music and antisocial behaviour at the flat led to him taking a pillow and blanket from his bedsit so he could get some sleep on the streets.
Asked why he didn’t complain, he said: “I’m not a grass. For fear of reprimand really.”
When it was put to him that incidents have been recorded since the closure order relating to the other flat, he said: “I don’t know anything about any of it.”
On becoming frustrated with repeatedly denying alleged incidents being put to him, he said: “I know nothing about any of it. Full stop. It’s disgraceful, the whole lot of it. All of this is just disgraceful.
“For 25 years I was in and out of prison. I was getting released with nowhere to live. This is the first time in 25 years I’ve had nothing hanging over me because I was given a property.
“If I get this taken away from me I’ll end up going back. I’m scared. I’m 41, I’ve got a partner, we’ve both got kids, I just want to settle down.”
However, the court decided to grant the closure order on the basis that it felt Mason had committed, or was likely to commit, criminal offences, or behave in a disorderly or offensive manner at the premises.
Leicester deputy city mayor responsible for regulatory services, Councillor Piara Singh Clair, said: “We have served notice to commence possession proceedings and this work will continue while the closure order is in place.
“The tenant has been banned from the property because of their antisocial behaviour and is not able to return for the period of the order.
“Therefore they will need to make their own arrangements for accommodation at this time.
“They can seek guidance from their housing officer on what is available to them should they need further advice on their housing options.“
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