Neighbour-from-hell is jailed for flooding flats

Aneighbour-from-hell who deliberately flooded a downstairs flat has been jailed for 36 months.

Dean Duggan, 35, from Angus, stuffed toilet tissue down the overflow drains of his bath and sink and turned the taps on fully to flood his bathroom.

He turned on the shower and ripped the head off the wall to direct it on to the floor after discovering his neighbours had reported him to police.

He went on a wrecking spree for several weeks, smashing the windows of his own flat and those of others in his stairwell.

Duggan, who has convictions for 99 previous offences, admitted a further 18 charges at Dundee Sheriff Court.

Fiscal depute Gavin Burton told the court: “On 22 March 2021 he was released on bail.

“At 3.35am on 23 March, police got a call from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in regards to flooding.

“A large amount of water was coming from within his flat, which in turn caused water to leak through the lights of the flat below.

“Police were initially unable to gain entry to stop the flooding.

“Eventually, the accused answered the door in a state of undress and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

“Police discovered the overflow drains on both the bath and sink had been blocked using toilet paper.

“All the taps had been turned on full, along with the shower, which had been pulled from the wall, with the shower head directed at the floor.”

Days before the flooding, Duggan had confronted two of his neighbours over his belief they had been responsible for him being repeatedly arrested.

He shouted: “Stop calling the police on me. I’ll do anything I want.”

On that occasion he caused £300 worth of damage by smashing his own window.

A few days previously, Duggan, who lived at Nursery Park, Brechin, had caused nearly £1,000 of damage by hurling items through windows at flats in the same street.

Duggan admitted that on March 23 last year at Nursery Park, he blocked the overflow drains on the bath and sink with tissue paper and to turning on all the taps and flooding his bathroom as well as causing damage to the ceiling and lighting in the flat below.

He also caused more than £1,200 worth of damage by smashing windows by hurling objects at them.

Duggan admitted a number of police assaults, including showering PC Derek Duncan with blood droplets.

He also threatened to kill officers and brandished a metal pole at another neighbour.

The offences took place between January 4 and April 17 2021, many while he was on bail.

The court heard Duggan struggled to cope during lockdown and his erratic behaviour had been partly sparked by his misuse of alcohol and diazepam.

Sheriff Lorna Drummond jailed him and imposed a 12-month supervised release order. She told Duggan: “I’ve considered all the offences – and there’s an awful lot of them.

“There is no alternative to custody.”

Dean Duggan.