Nightmare neighbour has flat closed by the council after ‘years of abuse and threats’

A nightmare neighbour’s flat has been closed by court order after numerous complaints about anti-social behaviour there.

Brighton and Hove City Council applied for the order to close Marshall Mathers’s flat, in Newick Road, Moulsecoomb, on April 16, for at least three months.

Mathers, a former hairdresser and a fan of the rapper Eminem, was previously known as Glen Dowsey and Colin Dowsey. He moved into the street in February 2023.

Neighbours said that they had no complaints until September that year when they started receiving abuse because he thought that people had complained about him to the council.

A neighbour, who asked not to be identified, was relieved to see the flat closed and said: “I feel like we can finally relax for a while after three years of abuse and threats.

“It feels incredible that one person believed us and took us seriously. Of course, there is still the chance our neighbour could come back but, for now, we’ll enjoy the peace.”

Marshall Mathers former home closed in Newick Road Moulsecoomb – image by Sarah Booker-Lewis Local Democracy Reporting Service

Neighbours said that armed police were called out after Mathers was involved in a fight on Wednesday 6 August last year.

After a three-hour stand-off, Mathers’s two XL Bully dogs were removed. It was not his first stand-off with officers.

And previous court hearings have been told about Mathers’s history of drug addiction, a record of related offending and his volatile behaviour.

Last November, residents’ representatives spoke about two shocking incidents to highlight how the council was still placing people with a history of serious anti-social behaviour in housing next to vulnerable people.

A written question about Mathers’s behaviour was submitted to a council housing management panel where tenant representatives discuss issues with councillors and officials.

The meeting was told that an 82-year-old neighbour was terrified for her life when an axe that did not belong to her was found in her shed.

Mathers had also climbed into a neighbour’s bedroom through a window, it was alleged.

At the time, council officials acknowledged the trauma of the continuing situation and accepted that the homes allocated to people in need were “not always right”.

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After the court hearing, the council said: “We took legal action against a tenant following serious anti-social behaviour and have worked with residents in the area to get a closure order.

“We’d like to thank residents for providing witness and impact statements. Alongside CCTV and supporting evidence from Sussex Police and other agencies, these were crucial in allowing us to take this action.

“We understand the distress and disruption this situation has caused within the community and apologise for the time it took to resolve. We need to follow a robust process and the hearing was delayed by court backlogs.

“We have remained in regular contact with affected neighbours throughout the process. We will continue to offer support and take all necessary steps to protect residents and restore stability to the area.”

Members of the council’s People Overview and Scrutiny Committee set up a task and finish group focusing on anti-social behaviour in council and housing association properties in July last year.

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