London 'neighbour from hell' loses appeal against Asbo

A millionaire property developer branded a "neighbour from hell" has lost an appeal against an Asbo for her abusive behaviour in central London.

Patricia Bailey, 60, said allegations that she taunted neighbours with racist and homophobic remarks were false.

But at Southwark Crown Court, Recorder Jeremy Donne QC described her as "a witness who lacked credibility".

He did relax the terms of her Asbo, however, so it lasted for 10 years, rather than for the rest of her life.

He also altered it so it applied only to the postcode districts of London, instead of covering the whole of the UK.

However, Mrs Bailey cannot have any contact with seven former neighbours in Collingwood House, a luxury block of flats in Great Titchfield Street, as well as a couple she lived beside in north London 20 years ago.

'Confrontational'

One witness told the hearing Mrs Bailey made homophobic comments about his partner and did a Nazi salute when referring to his German mother.

Another claimed she threw bleach at him in a lift.

But Mrs Bailey's husband, Peter Engen, said the neighbours' evidence was false.

And he told the court he and his wife were verbally abused by other people in their block, who played loud opera music and tended their gardens at night.

Mrs Bailey's solicitor, Jonathan Manning, argued the order was no longer necessary as she had now moved to St John's Wood, north-west London, where there had been no issues with her behaviour.

However, Recorder Donne said Mrs Bailey had "great difficulty in living in peaceful harmony with her neighbours" and could be "confrontational and aggressive".

"This is behaviour that in the past has been described as that of a 'neighbour from hell'," he added.

The lack of recent problems proved the Asbo had worked well, he said.