One Sussex family has endured years of extreme anti-social behavior from a neighbour. Now, due to this same situation, they feel unsafe and helpless. Like so many other fathers, 50-year-old Ecevit took on his noisy neighbor in the middle of the night. Instead of an acknowledgement or apology, he was pulled on with a knife. This event has deepened what was already, by all accounts, a sad state of affairs replete with vandalism and mental anguish for his family.
In January, after Ecevit asked the neighbor to turn down loud music at 4:00 AM, the confrontation escalated dramatically. Though the neighbor did not intend to hit Ecevit, his aggression alarmed and scared him, causing Ecevit to fear for his own safety. This confrontation is not an isolated incident. The neighbor is under suspicion for previously vandalizing one of Ecevit’s daughter’s cars by smashing her windscreen. The loss of their home has scarred their spirit, like it has affected Dilara, 17. She has since developed anxiety related to it.
“It doesn’t feel like a home to me anymore,” Dilara stated, reflecting on how the turmoil has affected her daily life, including her studies. Last year, she struggled significantly in her GCSEs due to the ongoing disruptive noise produced by her longtime neighbor. That very same noise is still interrupting her college education today.
The neighbor, then 61-years old, pled guilty to using a knife to threaten Ecevit. She is due to be sentenced in July. The police have documented nearly 40 incidents of anti-social behavior from the neighbors towards Keil between 2021 and 2023. This is in addition to the knife incident described above. This history has led local authorities to serve a Community Protection Notice to the woman in question.
Cheryl, Dilara’s mother, said she was heartbroken by the new developments. “It’s heartbreaking. It doesn’t feel safe. Life is hell. It’s horrible. It’s not a way to live,” she said, highlighting how the anti-social behavior has disrupted their family’s peace. Cheryl has gone to great lengths installing surveillance cameras around their home for fear of their safety. Despite these interventions, she remains frustrated that her complaints are not receiving the attention they deserve from law enforcement.
The local council has already thrown out some of Cheryl’s complaints as “vexatious” and considers her recent grievances “unfounded.” This lack of response from local authorities has led community members to voice their dissatisfaction, with many feeling that their concerns are being ignored or trivialized.
“What’s it going to take for them to actually take action and do something to safeguard us and protect us? Do they expect her to kill us? How is it not enough?” asked Melissa, another resident affected by similar issues. Cihan, another neighbor, echoed these sentiments: “There’s no real action. There’s no real urgency. It’s just brushed under the carpet.”
Unfortunately, the situation described here is not unique to Ecevit’s family. According to reports, over sixty-six of them have reached out to their local media—including BBC. People are posting about their experiences with laser attacks and chronic noise harassment and vandalism by their neighbors. Now, thousands of residents are left feeling exposed and disregarded.
Anne Waterhouse of the community safety team said they are continuing to work with the family, police, local authorities and partner agencies. Their ultimate aim is to take a dent out of the escalating severe ASB issues in their locality. Residents believe that these efforts have so far failed to produce meaningful outcomes.
As Richard Blakeway the housing ombudsman pointed out, this is a huge issue. In nearly two-thirds of the cases he’s called in to advise on where anti-social behavior escalates into crisis, authorities have done something wrong. More importantly, he sounded the alarm on a dangerous trend. In particular, people are becoming disconnected from the victims and their experiences in extreme cases of anti-social behaviour.
Cheryl described the toll this situation has taken on her life: “I don’t sleep. It’s like sharing a house with these people, and it affects every part of everything. I can’t go out.” Her worries are a part of larger, deeper angst shared among so many locals who have found themselves in a similar pickle.
