Ex-marine’s furious rant at neighbour for using hosepipe to wash car outside flats

A belligerent pensioner has been given a restraining order after launching furious, expletive rants at his neighbour over trivial matters.

Ex-Royal Marines Michael Mills, 80, hurled a tirade at his 32-year-old neighbour after spotting him use a garden hose to wash his car, yelling he’d have “done him in” if he had been younger.

The apoplectic rant followed several other confrontations which became needlessly aggressive, and the 80-year-old has now been given a restraining order against victim Stuart Lake.

Magistrates heard Mills’ expletive-filled rants often took place in front of Mr Lake’s two-year-old daughter, even calling him a “f***ing p****” on one occasion for leaving a communal door open.

A separate instance saw Mills repeat the same insult when Mr Lake removed a bird protector screen from the door to make it easier for his toddler daughter to get in.

Mills was also seen to stick two fingers up to his neighbour when he drove past him in his car at the block of flats in Christchurch, Dorset.

Magistrates gave the pensioner a dressing down for his foul-mouthed behaviour after Mr Lake finally had enough and reported the harassment to police.

Mills was charged when Dorset Police tried to issue him with a warning but he refused to oblige.

He had denied the offence of harassment but changed his plea to guilty on the day he was due to stand trial at Poole magistrates’ court, where the bench told him, “you can’t behave this way”.

The court heard Mr Lake had been the only young resident when he moved into the block of flats with his daughter, and that there had been issues “with a young person moving in”.

“Mills was being aggressive and needlessly confrontational,” said prosecutor Paul Legg.

“[In July 2022] Mills banged on Mr Lake’s door when his daughter was there, he complained that the communal door was open and called Mr Lake a f…..g p…k.”

The following month, Mr Lake was washing his car with a hosepipe connected to a tap outside the flats, when an angry Mills approached him.

Mr Legg continued: “In August, Mills approached Mr Lake who was using a hosepipe connected to a tap to clean his car.

“Mills said to him ‘you f…..g ‘ain’t or else I’ll make sure you stop. ‘If I was still in the marines I would’ve done you in’.

“[Later in August] Mr Lake took down a bird screen from a door so his daughter could come and go more easily.

“Mr Lake later found Mills standing in a doorway, Mills called him a ‘prick’ and later stuck two fingers up at him when he drove past.

“Mr Lake asked Mills to watch his language because he had his two-year-old daughter with him.”

Debra Scudamore, defending, said Mills had been running the management of the property for 20 years with no issues until now, adding that the scenario had been “a neighbour dispute that has got out of hand”.

Mills, who pleaded guilty to a single charge of harassment, was given a conditional discharge but was handed a 12-month restraining order and must not contact Mr Lake.

Chair of the bench David Murray said: “We understand it must be difficult.

“You are somebody who has lived in this block of flats for a long time. Somebody of a much younger generation has come in.

“But there’s no excuse for the way you have behaved. You can’t behave in this way, it’s unacceptable.”