Concerns Over Next Door Neighbour

Errata

OP - what do you want to happen? What outcome would settle your mind at rest?

LEJC

jen007 wrote: »

If it was me, i'd be finding out his name and googling him/checking local newspaper articles. I personally would like to know if what has been said about him is truth or just a game of chinese whispers.

Apart from making your home more secure, I have no other advice.

Do you mind me asking then if once you've googled him and find out that its all true...what effect would that have on you...would you view him differently...?

Elsewhere

I can understand your concerns as well - and you are understandably nervous because I expect you assumed after all this time that he wouldn't return.

In your situation I would do as others suggested - pass the time of day over the fence, say hello when you see him. Hopefully this will make you and your family less anxious - no fear of the unknown!

OK, this next bit isn't so politically correct, but - if you get to know what he is like right now, when all the experts think he his safe and stable, you will at least have a basis on which to judge if you think things are going astray in the future.

antw23uk

Sorry i would be looking to move if i thought for one second my wife and children could be at danger! Sorry

piglet25

Its the people who you don't know about who present the biggest danger - at least you have had some sort of heads up on this chap so you can avoid certain topics of coversation should you ever get chatting! I am sure that your neighbour is being monitored, even if its just to cover someones backside they will be keeping an eye on him. Just smile when you see him, and if he says hello then say it back. Hes a human who has sufferered from an illness, hes not an animal.

Fire_Fox

The only choice you have is between educating yourself on and understanding paranoid schizophrenia and moving house. People don't go from stable to murderous overnight there are signs they are losing their grip on reality. Other than that his mental health is his personal business, if his doctors have signed him off and believe that his drug regimen is successfully managing his condition then he can live wherever he wishes.

Your wife is getting stressed on the basis of village gossip and little no medical knowledge, rather than something that actually is likely to happen and therefore worthy of stressing about. IMO that is where to focus your attentions, be sure she is getting a nutritious low glycaemic index diet, and daily physical activity as recommended by her doctor/ nurse, maybe you could do some relaxation exercises together?

go_cat

But your wife could meet someone with the same condition and not know the history ... What would you think of him if you didnt know this info?

you know what they say a little knowledge is dangerous.

Yorkie1

It's likely to have been a conviction for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Or otherwise a hospital order without conviction.

Before offenders with such a background are released back into the community there are incredibly detailed risk assessments. Only if the authorities are sure that the risk is sufficiently low will an offender be released. Yes, sometimes they get it wrong but those cases mainly hit the headlines because they are so few and far between.

Once the decision is taken to release the offender back, there will be a rehabilitation period. Again, if there are concerns about stability or risk, this will be ceased.

Even once back into the community, the offender will be under regular supervision on their licence. And can be recalled to prison (if there was a conviction, not sure about if a hospital order) for breaches of the conditions on their licence.

And the mental health team are going to keep a very close eye on him for ever. I suspect it was failure to be in contact with such treatment which led to the offending in the first place. He will be in a very different place now mentally to where he was then.

So, whilst I can understand the fear, I hope that finding out a bit more about the actual legal and rehabilitative / risk assessment process may help put things into perspective.

meritaten

I would actually get to know him a bit - he must be stable at the moment, and that way you would be aware if he wasnt taking his meds or behaving strangely and could alert the authorities.

a neighbour of my mums was a paranoid schizophrenic and we all 'knew' when he wasnt taking his meds. a word to his brother or mum and extra care was taken of him.
I would just take reasonable security precautions - but, my guess is this guy will 'keep himself to himself' and not bother you. Why? because he is mentally ill - not stupid, and probably well aware that the whole neighbourhood knows what happened. Or the 'gossip' version anyway.

Spirit_2

Due to his mental health problems he acted in a way whuch killed his sister and from what you say was probably intended to end his own life. His mum has made sure that he has a home to come back to and he has been judged well enough to be in the community.

To give it another perspective: Would you be having the same worries if you lived near a drunk driver who had caused death or injury?

Hats off to his mum.