Neighbour shooting crossbow in back garden

MataNui

AndyMc..... wrote: »

Well you're wrong there, if you cause damage and they can prove your were reckless then it's criminal damage.

If you hit someone it's assault end of no need to prove intent unless you're looking at gbh with intent.

I will indeed concede that one. You are correct. However in the OPs case The guy hasnt actually done anything wrong yet and even if the bolt should go into the garden he still wouldnt by default of committed any crime. Depending on the power of the bow it could very easily be argued that a 6 foot wooden fence is an appropriate backstop.



So far all that has happened is he is shooting his bow in his own garden, the OP doesnt like it and most people have jumped on that its a weapon, it must be a crime call the police. Its not a crime and the police can do sod all apart from trying to push something like antisocial behavior which would probably be better going via the landlord.

AndyMc.....

MataNui wrote: »

I will indeed concede that one. You are correct. However in the OPs case The guy hasnt actually done anything wrong yet and even if the bolt should go into the garden he still wouldnt by default of committed any crime. Depending on the power of the bow it could very easily be argued that a 6 foot wooden fence is an appropriate backstop.



So far all that has happened is he is shooting his bow in his own garden, the OP doesnt like it and most people have jumped on that its a weapon, it must be a crime call the police. Its not a crime and the police can do sod all apart from trying to push something like antisocial behavior which would probably be better going via the landlord.

Good luck with that one, even if the draw weight is under 1.4kg, you could still be up for criminal charges.

arcon5

Norman_Castle wrote: »

No, its not right, but its not an emergency. The op isn't feeling threatened. They are worried a stray bolt may hit them, this can be avoided by staying out of parts of the garden.

Why should op have to avoid using parts of her garden ?


And how is a stray arrow which could endanger life not an emergency? Next time he fires a potentially lethal weapon in to ops garden she should most definately call emergency services

hollydays

So many of these unusual threads.
A discussion with police off the record might establish if this person is of interest to them.if he is they might show some interest.
Some people get a kick out of having things that are legal but probably shouldn't be. Like cocking a snook to the police.

AndyMc.....

arcon5 wrote: »

Why should op have to avoid using parts of her garden ?


And how is a stray arrow which could endanger life not an emergency? Next time he fires a potentially lethal weapon in to ops garden she should most definately call emergency services

Next time? It hasn't happened at all yet.

Yorkie006

Hi everyone and thanks for all replies.
To clear a few things up I have attached a drawing so you can picture the situation better.

https://imgur.com/a/8F742ED

The target (oil drum) is sitting on some bricks so the top of it is only couple of inches below the top of the fence. The only thing stopping the bolts going into our garden is the fence itself (the fence is quite old with broken stats in places). The risk of one of the bolts going over the fence seems quite high. The holes in the gate are definitely from his bolts, I used to do archery at school (when it was still allowed) and know what marks arrows etc leave in wood. Our garden is very overgrown so it looks like the previous tenants didn't spend any time in the garden (either because they didn't like gardening or were too scared to go there - according to another neighbour who lives across the street, they only lived here for less than 6 months). Once it's cleared I may find some bolts hiding in there, at the moment the weeds/grass reach above my knees.
We have friends (some with kids) coming over a few times a month so we want to have some outside space for bbq's, paddling pool etc. Also we have pets (a cat and a dog) who will be spending time in the garden - sometimes on their own, other times with us there. I don't want him to use them as a target (esp. the cat as she's coming and going as she pleases and does jump on fences/walls quite a bit while out and about). I'm dreading going in the garden one day and finding one of our pets dead with a bolt in the head.
We've been here for less than a week and saw the neighbour shooting his crossbow on 3 occasions at various times of the day so it's very difficult to predict when he decides to shoot (he doesn't appear to have a job) so can't even plan round it. We can tell when he's there by the sound of the bolts hitting the oil drum (we haven't seen any bolts go into our garden as yet, but he weren't watching him that much - still unpacking our stuff while also going to work - but they could be in the grass where we can't see them until the garden's sorted.
We don't want to involve the police as that could just provoke him to be even more hostile. We're not violent people and don't want to create any problems but at the same time we want to be able to enjoy our garden without fear of having crossbow bolts flying in our/our pets direction. If police gets involved, who knows what he decides to do as revenge?

[Deleted User]

hollydays wrote: »

So many of these unusual threads.

Could it be the time of year, I wonder?

forgotmyname

Amazing that you have deemed his xbow to be powerful yet you dont know its power rating. Accused them of having projectiles enter your property, but now say you may find some in the long grass?

And now you have labelled him as a pet murderer. Obviously anyone with a weapon automatically goes around killing their neighbours pets.
Stands to reason i guess.

Just pray you dont move into a house next door to a Chef....
Especially if they appear friendly and talk about your pets and what you
feed them. Thats when you worry.

If they cannot hit a 24" or 30" barrel then im sure your pets safe.
Whats the width of the garden 30 - 40ft?

hollydays

If you have any kids about to engage in projectile vomiting, keep them in the garden. That will learn im , it might make him cross though, but it's non-violent.

If you do not want to Involve the police, you could try sending him flowers?

Rosemary7391

You can ask the police for advice without giving your name/address, so that won't antagonise your neighbour. Would be good to know your options, no? Given that he hasn't responded to a quick chat, your options basically are police/other authority, put up with it, or move.



I'd also prioritise checking the grass for bolts. You don't want a kid or dog to find them first.



Pets board might have ideas for encouraging your cat to avoid his garden/fence?