A lesbian couple in Chatham suffered two years of abuse from a homophobic neighbor. To make matters worse, their complaints fell on deaf ears at the local police station. Now Kent Police have apologized to the women, saying their handling of the situation fell “below the required standard.” In addition, officers involved were given “words of advice and learning” after the two women officially complained.
Jess and Lisa, both former police officers themselves, told Yahoo the problems began in 2018 when
“Jessica, 31, moved in and asked the neighbor to move a vehicle as she was expecting a removal van. When he stubbornly refused the council slapped him with a fine, which only inflamed the situation further. At Halloween several of the neighbor’s relatives blocked the doorstep saying children shouldn’t approach the women because they were ‘pervs'”.
Jess goes on to say that,
They were basically calling me a sex offender.
The couple described their ordeal in detail to Kent Online which they say included
threats to strangle, having tires slashed, a rock being lobbed through a window, waste food emptied into their garden and vehicles consistently blocking their drive.
Jessica, who compiled a spreadsheet of about 40 incidents – 17 of which were reported to the police. She and Lisa say the shock they felt by the lack of action by Kent Police was a “major factor” in their decision to leave the profession about three months ago. Jessica added on many occasions police did not attend to take statements and they were not “taken seriously”.
The women who then stepped up security around their house for safety reasons said
“it felt like living in a fortress.”
As police officers themselves the women wondered how others dealt with situations like these,
“We never retaliated, that would have been professional suicide. What I find worrying is that we were serving police officers and not taken seriously. What if you are vulnerable, can’t speak English or have other issues? The message from us is to stand up for yourself and your rights.”
In the end according to Kent Online, “a 48-year-old Chatham man appeared before Medway magistrates on June 3 charged with offenses under the Public Order Act. He received a 12-month community order, including a curfew, and a six-month restraining order not to go to the women’s address. He was also ordered to pay £200 court costs.”
In this case, the punishment does NOT seem to fit the crime, for all the hell he put those two women through.
Sources: Yahoo News, Kent Online
