Man arrested for threatening to kill someone inside rogue landlord's house

Neighbours in Devereux Road, Southend, were woken up by sirens at about 7am on Friday after a man went berserk in an upstairs flat.

A resident of the property, who asked not to be named, told how it all kicked off. He said: “One of the boys went a bit mental and started smashing the place up.

“Three cars came up with flashing lights and sirens. They got out with riot shields.”

A neighbour said it was all a bit of a nightmare and police have been called numerous times to the property over the years.

He said: “This was very odd. As quickly as they arrived they were gone.

“They had plastic riot shields and there were about six of them, but from what I could see they jumped back in their cars and skedaddled.

“There are often police cars and ambulances here. It used to be just one flat but now he’s knocked it into a rental place.

“I think you have to be pretty desperate to live there.”

Landlord Robert Crowe was ordered to pay out more than £39,000 earlier this month after Southend Council took him to court.

Crowe had two of his tenants living in the back yard under tarpaulin. Another was confined to a 2.5m² room inside with no windows.

Magistrates in Chelmsford Magistrates described the conditions as “appalling, deplorable, and inhumane” and said they had “no place in modern Britain of today.”

In total, Crowe was sentenced for 15 breaches of regulations governing homes of multiple occupation (HMOs). He was fined £35,000 and ordered to pay more than £4,000 in costs.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Police attended a property in Devereux Road, Southend, at around 7.30am on Friday following concerns for a man inside the property.

“Officers attended and arrested a 38-year-old man from Southend for making threats to kill. He is currently being questioned at Rayleigh police station.”

At time of going to press the man, who was not Mr Crowe, had not been charged. The Echo called at the property but Mr Crowe was not in.