THE neighbour who made life a misery for the Ross-based chairman of the West Mercia Police Authority has been slapped with a restraining order by the courts.

Magistrates in Gloucester imposed the order on Mark Hill after hearing how his bizarre antics had caused Joyce Thomas sleepless nights and anxiety.

Hill, of the Crofts, Ross-on-Wye, routinely drove the 71-year-old from her bed by shouting abuse and chanting 'gibberish', the court heard.

Prosecutor Paul Ashby told magistrates that Hill, a dead ringer for writer Will Self, also caused a racket by throwing objects around his first floor flat.

The court heard that Mrs Thomas' ordeal began two years after she moved into the apartment beneath the defendant's.

"She was subjected to abnormal behaviour with Hill shouting and chanting in gibberish for three or four hours a night," said Mr Ashby.

"This would give way to raucous laughter and the sound of items being thrown about the flat. It is suggested these were his collection of model cars.''

Mr Ashby said that Mrs Thomas had moved into her flat in January 1999 .It was not until Hill knocked on her door on May 18 2002 that her problems really began.

"Mrs Thomas is also a councillor with Herefordshire council and Hill asked if she could help him get back into a pub he had been barred from," said Mr Ashby.

"While they were talking another neighbour came over and complained about some shouting that had gone on the previous evening.

"At that point Hill, who had been drinking, gave a fantastic story about his ex-wife and some missing money. When his story was not believed he became aggressive and abusive."

Kept awake

Mr Ashby highlighted several dates leading up to November 19th last year when Hill had kept his neighbour awake until the early hours with his behaviour.

"On one occasion Mrs Thomas came home at 8.10pm and Hill immediately turned up the TV in his flat and started shouting at it," he said. "That developed into hysterical laughter and high pitched screaming then chanting in a pretend foreign language punctuated with swear words."

The magistrates heard that the diminutive Hill had been allowed to live in the flat by his adoptive parents because of his 'problems'.

"He receives substantial support because of his poor social skills and volatile personality," said Mr Ashby. "He has little financial sense and spends his money on alcohol and toy cars."

Found guilty of harassing Mrs Thomas at a trial last month in Coleford magistrates court Hill appeared in Gloucester last Thursday for sentence. Speaking in this defence Rebecca Edmonds told the court that Hill had abided by the conditions of this bail and not harassed his neighbour.

"They seem to have had an effect," she said. "There has been no repetition of the behaviour. That would tend to suggest there is scope for an order that would be effective. These individuals can live beside on another provided a structure is in plan to manage it."

Ms Edmonds told magistrates that prosecution evidence of how Hill spent his money was 'hearsay'.

Magistrates imposed a two-year restraining order on Hill preventing him from harassing Mrs Thomas or deliberately causing noise. He was also made the subject of six-month community rehabilitation order and ordered to pay £125 towards prosecution costs.