A NUISANCE neighbour from Chesterfield who repeatedly terrorised residents by whistling the tune to The Addams Family has been locked up.
Leopold Wrobel, aged 51, of Francis Drive, Wingerworth, was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison after he breached his anti-social behaviour order and made the lives of neighbours Kathleen and Michael Sharpe an "absolute nightmare".
He had been given the ASBO on December 8 last year after magistrates heard he had harassed the Sharpes for the past four years.
Wrobel was hauled back before Chesterfield Magistrates when the hearing was told his nuisance behaviour - which included whistling the theme tune to the Addams Family Show - continued on the very day the order had been imposed.
Michael Treharne, prosecuting, said each incident taken in isolation would probably seem silly, and almost pathetic.
But he added: "If something happens on an on-going
basis and goes on and on , eventually it reaches the stage of being absolutely intolerable."
Mrs Sharpe told the court Wrobel's behaviour had left her frightened to leave the house and a "prisoner" in her own home. Mr Sharpe spoke of the impact on his wife's health He said she had been so stressed by the ordeal that she had started losing hair.
He said: "It's been devastating and it's done what Mr Wrobel wanted to do, try to destroy our lives. He very nearly succeeded."
The court was also shown CCTV footage from cameras at the Sharpe's property, which picked up Wrobel's repeated whistling when they arrived at or left the house.
Wrobel denied breaching the ASBO plus two further counts of harassment relating to incidents when he watched the couple and their family and made whistling noises between December 7 and 18 - but was found guilty by magistrates. He claimed the whistles were directed towards his dog.
Chairman of the bench John Warren said: "You pursued a course of conduct that caused great distress to the Sharpe family and have shown no recognition of the impact on that family."
After the hearing Mrs Sharpe, 66, said she was glad the nightmare was over.
She said: "I'm so relieved, it's been an absolute nightmare. It's affected our health and all the family."
Buy The Star - Monday to Saturday - for local news, sport, features and ads. To subscribe CLICK HEREREAD MOREMain news indexYour lettersFeaturesSouth Yorkshire's environmental newsKids ZoneMore business newsMore Rotherham newsMore Doncaster newsMore Barnsley newsLatest sport