Parking row axeman in threat to kill his neighbours
AXE-WIELDING OAP LAUNCHED TERRIFYING RACE-HATE CAMPAIGN OVER PARKING ROW
AN AXE-WIELDING pensioner subjected his Scottish neighbours to a race-hate campaign in which he threatened to behead the family for parking outside his house.
James Rattigan rammed an axe into his own back door after ‘waving it around’ at Kenny McLaughlin on their street in Oldham.
On one night, during a year of intimidation and abuse, Rattigan threatened to leap over the fence and ‘kill’ and ‘burn’ his neighbours, who were in bed.
The 67-year-old would scream ‘Scottish ***** ’ at his neighbours, but later claimed he had been shouting it at Celtic matches on the TV. Now he has been prosecuted for harassing Kenny McLaughlin, 53, his wife Tracey, 50, and their two adult children, who have spoken of how they live in fear of him.
Tameside Magistrates Court heard that between October 16, 2016, and Feburary this year Rattigan had been threatening the McLaughlins.
“Initally it began over a minor parking issue with them parking outside his home address, a row of terraced houses. They had been parking outside the home address due to a lack of other space and the defendant doesn’t own a car”, prosecutor Risha Seth said.
Rattigan came back from the pub at night and screamed abuse, shouting ‘you Scottish ***** I’m going to kill you, I’m going to jump over the fence now, come on, I’m going to burn you all.’
The threats were repeated ‘over and over,’ and were recorded by Mr McLaughlin’s 25-year-old daughter, Ashleigh.
On another occasion, wearing a T-shirt and trilby hat, Rattigan was filmed wielding an axe in the street and shouting ‘I’m going to chop your heads off - I’m going to ******* kill you.’
On another occasion the family were terrified to be woken by the fire brigade. Rattigan had rung 999 claiming he ‘smelt burning.’
In a statement Mr McLaughin, who works as Metrolink supervisor, said: “When he has a drink something usually happens. My biggest fear is that he will burn my house down and I don’t feel safe in my own home. I don’t want to go to work in case something happens to my family, but how long can I stay off work for?”
Ashleigh told police: “I feel it could end with Jimmy killing one of us. This is affecting my whole family, he’s threatened to kill my family and I’m sure he’s capable of carrying this out.”
Rattigan, a former machinist, was found guilty after a trial of using abusive words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of violence and racially aggravated harrassment. He told the court to jail him, inisisting he would appeal because he wasn’t guilty.
He was given 14 weeks jail, suspended for 12 months and must pay £215 in costs and surcharges. A restraining order was also imposed, banning him from contacting the McLaughlins. The court heard Rattigan - who denied all the charges - has convictions dating back to 1969 for assault, theft and wounding.
His lawyer, Saul Comish, said: “Mr Rattigan and the McLaughlins are neighbours and there has been a dispute for months if not several years.
“It’s accepted he was carrying an axe, he walked past them and into his address.
“Mr Rattigan doesn’t accept his guilt. He would say the raciallyaggravated part of the offence, when he referred to people being Scottish, was when he was watching Celtic on TV.”