A FAMILY has told how a 68-year-old former Hells Angel made them 'prisoners in their own home' during a year-long campaign of harassment.

It is the second time so-called 'neighbour from hell' David Constantine has appeared in court for making life a misery for those living next door to him.

Constantine, who told magistrates he planned to move to a remote area of Scotland when this latest case is over, first made national headlines after he stabbed himself in the chest on New Year's Eve 2007 and tried to frame his neighbour while living in Lanchester, County Durham.

The pensioner was ordered by a judge to move from his home or be jailed and subsequently moved to the nearby village of Esh Winning.

However, he soon reverted back to his old ways, repeatedly shouting abuse at his new neighbours and being noisy, Consett magistrates were told on Thursday.

The couple’s daughters, aged three and five, were too frightened to play in their garden – and knowing Constantine’s history the parents feared he would make false allegations against them too.

The court was told Constantine - now of Jubilee Court, Moorside, Consett - has since bought himself a mobile home and hopes to find a remote place to stay over the Scottish border, well away from any neighbours.

But before he is able to realise his plans, he will have to return to court to be sentenced, with prosecutors seeking to bring him to book with a rarely-used Criminal Behaviour Order.

Sarah Traynor, prosecuting, said Constantine had entered a late plea of guilty to a charge of harassment without violence, between April 2014 and April this year.

She said: “The defendant would repeatedly bang on the walls of his property, slam his door repeatedly shouting 'f***' through the walls and directing abusive words at the couple’s two young children.

“It is said he made the mother feel intimidated by staring at her on regular basis when she walked past his house taking the children to school.”

The court heard Constantine also:

  • Banged the doors in his property.
  • Once called the daughters 'f****** little bastards' as they played outside.
  • Shouted four-letter abuse through the adjoining walls at the five-year-old.
  • Left his television or radio on full volume while away for four days.

Following complaints, police served Constantine with a harassment notice in February this year. However, weeks later he breached it by calling the couple "scumbags" and continually slamming doors.

When interviewed by police, Constantine denied all the allegations, saying he was the one who was being harassed and that he wanted “the quiet life”.

In a victim impact statement, the wife said: “Since David Constantine moved in next door, he has made our lives hell.

“We feel we are prisoners in our own home and are living on a knife-edge. We are continually trying to keep the kids quiet and stopping them from playing normally. ”

The mother, who broke out in eczema from the stress, added: “My children are also frightened of him and refuse to go out and play when he is in the garden.

“I find him menacing . . . I have seen him digging holes in garden and putting stones in them for no reason. I find his behaviour strange."

Magistrates were told Constantine had been convicted at Teesside Crown Court in 2008 for the harassment of his neighbours in Lanchester.

Mrs Traynor said: “The defendant alleged his neighbour had inflicted grievous bodily harm on him. The neighbour was arrested for attempted murder, but no further action was taken as it was deemed, following medical evidence, that the injuries were self-inflicted.”

Nick Musgrove, mitigating, said the latest allegations were not a case of “constant or weekly incidents” and there had been there had been periods of calm.

He added, Constantine had a history of depression and number of serious physical conditions.

Constantine was granted conditional bail to return from for sentencing on Thursday, October 22.