WHEN Mandy Dunford first moved to an idyllic hillside farm deep in the North York Moors National Park, neighbour Ken Ward seemed friendly.

However, a decision to install a gate on a lane which ran past both their houses appears to have enraged him and his brother Brian.

The campaign of hate began in a bizarre fashion with stickers from bananas stuck to the disputed gate, however things quickly escalated.

Brian Ward was a pest controller and took to scattering dead mice and rabbits outside her home and buildings. Margarine pots containing poison and animal traps would be left uncovered in her fields where she walked her dogs.

However, worse was to come. In early 2004, Ms Dunford was walking towards her barn when Ken Ward approached naked, except for his boots and socks. He began masturbating while starting intently at her.

The former police officer ran into her home terrified, however the incidents became a regular occurrence. Often when Ms Dunford was out tending her animals, he would jump out at her and dance around while performing sex acts.

Ms Dunford told how in June 2004 the harassment reached another level. She says she was walking down the track when Ward jumped out clutching a rifle. As she ran, she heard five shots fired in quick succession.

After this incident, Ward would dress in camouflage and stand on the track between the two houses with a gun as if on sentry duty. When he saw Ms Dunford, he would point the weapon at her. Ms Dunford, herself a former PC with Cleveland Police, sought help from the police on several occasions - but each time she was not taken seriously.

Incredibly, the first officer not only failed to take her concerns seriously but also behaved inappropriately - stroking her thigh.

The horrifying incident has prompted an apology from Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Ken McIntosh, who said the response Ms Dunford received was "quite frankly appalling".

ACC McIntosh added: "There is no other word to describe such behaviour which brought disgrace on the policing profession. He has been dismissed from the force."

Ward would never expose himself when others were around. However, in 2010 a friend of Ms Dunford's did witness him harassing her. The witness even managed to get photographs on a long-lens camera.

After seeing the disgusting behaviour first-hand, the friend persuaded her to contact the police again, sure the new evidence would prompt a through investigation.

Ms Dunford tried without success to arrange an interview with a police inspector by phone . When that failed she went to Stokesley police station while passing hoping to arrange an appointment for a later date as she did not have the photos with her.

The inspector, however, told her he was free now and did not know when he would be available again. The officer went on to tell her the most Ward could expect was a six-month Asbo. According to Ms Dunford, he told indecency cases were "very complicated", adding that setting up cameras or posting officers to catch Ward in action would be an infringement of his human rights. The inspector suggested Ms Dunford think carefully about whether reporting Ward's behaviour was in her best interests. She was persuaded not to take the matter forward.

In 2011, after obtaining more images of Ward, Ms Dunford made an official complaint to North Yorkshire Police's professional standards unit.

This ultimately resulted in Ward's arrest and the discovery of an arsenal of illegal guns and ammunition at his home. Later that year, he was sentenced to five years in prison for harassing Ms Dunford and possessing the firearms.

But Mrs Dunford believes that had her complaints been taken seriously from the start, his offending could have been stopped much earlier.

ACC McIntosh says lessons have been learnt.

“Victims of crime are our priority and are at the heart of everything North Yorkshire Police does," he said. "To help ensure that Mandy’s situation does not arise again, we have introduced a number of new processes that assess and prioritise every incident that is reported to North Yorkshire Police, as well as flagging up repeat and vulnerable victims.

"These are underpinned by rigorous quality controls and reviews by supervising officers."