AN ABUSIVE neighbour carried out a campaign of racist harassment and made threats to kill a womanliving in his block of flats.

Simon Jeffrey hurled racist abuse at his former neighbour and told the woman to “be careful” because she was a woman living on her own.

The 49-year-old of Goldhanger Cross, Basildon left the woman so scared she installed CCTV – which he would go on to sabotage.

Southend Crown Court heard that Jeffrey self-medicated for a brain injury with alcohol and drugs, after being intentionally run over in 2007.

Jeffrey’s offending dates back to 2017, but a string of incidents happened from June to November last year, after Jeffery had been given repeated warnings via community protection notices.

On August 20 last year, the woman, who is of south Asian origin, was cooking in her kitchen which overlooked the rear garden of the block.

Over the course of 40 minutes Jeffery hurled racist language at her and called her “dirty” and made similar comments about her daughter.

James Vine, prosecuting, said: “More abuse started at 8.20pm when cooking. He demanded she stop cooking.

“It got worse and so she called the police. He walked up the stairs in the flats banging on the door.

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“Because of them, she had to change her lifestyle, she gets panicky and nervous whenever she put the bins out.

“She said; ‘I get prepared if I am going to be walking and put my phone on video mode to get evidence to the police, and have my panic button in my hand’.”

Mr Vine said the woman heard Jeffrey say that he was going to “get the gun and shoot her”.

Further incidents saw Jeffrey become enraged at the woman’s CCTV, and cut the cables to one camera.

Jeffrey admitted racially aggravated harassment, criminal damage and assaulting police workers.

On November 18 when police were called. Jeffrey tried to shut the door on the officers, but they forced their way in, resulting in one officer being placed in a headlock by Jeffrey.

Adam Budworth, mitigating, said: “He was assaulted and very violently run over deliberately and was in a coma for four weeks and ten months suffering a significant brain injury.

“He’s been self-medicating with alcohol.

“He is disgusted with his behaviour as he reads it now, and he can’t understand that it happened.”

Recorder Elroy Claxton gave Jeffrey a suspended prison sentence of 15 months with 40 days rehabilitation and an alcohol treatment requirement.

Recorder Claxton lambasted Jeffrey’s abuse but said he “needs help” to become “part of the human race” again.