Fax Transmission
To:            Mr Alan Taylor, RBK&C Chief Executive and Town Clerk   
Date:        Tuesday, 4th August 1998
Fax Nr.:    0171 361 2764    Pages:    13,   including this cover sheet.
From:        Gary D Chance        
Subject:    Terror Management Operation (TMO)

C O N F I D E N T I A L

Dear Mr Taylor

Further to my “Terror” fax of 17th June 1998, I have been the recipient of death, physical assault and eviction threats in July 1998 coupled with apparent false accusations from the tenant below me in Flat xxx.  All of these were documented and brought to the attention of Mr Martyn Kingsford in my fax to him on Thursday, 23rd July 1998 (copy attached).  

Following this fax the harassment, intimidation and threatening behaviour continued building up from the following day, Friday, 24th July 1998 over the weekend to its worst on Sunday night/Monday morning, 26th/27th July 1998.  This has remained so for the past week until last night, Monday, 3rd August 1998, when the details of other direct harassment were confirmed.  This harassment and intimidation has caused me to be afraid for my life in this environment, and the TMO/EMB have done nothing with respect to responding to me about my fax of 23rd July 1998 to Mr Kingsford.  Their actions, whatever they have been, have simply aided and assisted the harassment and intimidation.  

About 3:00 pm on Friday, 24th July 1998, the tenant or the tenant’s non-resident relative returned to that flat and slammed the door as hard as possible no less than 16 times.  This was followed by muffled screams from below at periodic intervals from a younger female voice whom I suspect to be the xxx tenant’s relative.  Apparently she was yelling at her son, xxxxxxx, and blaming him for what has happened: “It’s all your fault,” I heard her scream.  The dog underneath barked continuously as it does on a daily basis.  Later that evening after 10:00 pm, there was loud tapping on my floor (the ceiling of Flat xxx) which woke me up.  Later, I thought my door bell was pushed but was not certain as I was completely asleep and only woke up at the last couple rings.  Similar things have happened before, and they were not dreams.  

The following day about 7:00 pm on Saturday evening, 25th July 1998, when I started taking a bath, all of the people in Flat xxx quite literally went berserk.  When the bath water was running (and I was in the tub), shouting and banging on the wall underneath my bathroom started with several very loud door slams.  Next I heard what I thought was the younger woman’s voice yelling outside and assumed it was directed at me, but I could not understand what it was as I was in the bathtub with the water running.  This was followed by a continuous banging of a door and operating the door lock.  Later about 7:40 pm a male voice was shouting from outside something about “. . . coming at 3:00 am” as there were shouts back and forth between at least two male voices outside.  I took this to be the relative of the Tenant in Flat xxx by the name of xxxxxx.  Thus, not only was my peace and quiet totally disrupted, but the very private taking of a bath was deliberately and terribly intruded upon by what sounded like to me all four adults who are normally associated with Flat xxx.  Something did happen in the middle of the night the very next night.  

Sometime before midnight (an hour or so before that time) on Sunday night, 26th July 1998, there was a group of voices outside the building.  The most prominent was that of very unusual cackling laughter that is clearly associated with the women Tenant in Flat xxx.  She has this most distinctive laugh which is completely unique and unmistakable.  This went on for a very long time even perhaps as long as an hour or an hour and a half.  The cackling laughter was continuous amid the sound of several accented male voices.  The accents were West Indian which I took for Jamaican.  

At about 25 minutes before 1:00 am early Monday morning, 27th July 1998, these voices moved into the building.  The cackling laughter continued amid the clear sound of West Indian accented males.  The sound of the voices came this way and ended up very close to my door, but in looking out I could not see anyone.   This group of people remained stationery in very near proximity to my front door with the males repeating several times “Come on out, mon.”  Each time this was said the cackling laughter from the Tenant in Flat xxx would burst out.  Finally, they moved away and the sound of their voices disappeared into a muffled noise.  I assumed they had entered a flat.  When I moved back to my living room, I could hear the faint sound of their voices coming through my window either from a flat or outside.  

This was the worst kind of intimidation imaginable as it identified thugs with unfamiliar voices and such distinct accents that they were not associated with any tenants I have heard who live here.  I assumed these were thugs brought into the building by the Tenant in Flat xxx to harass, intimidate and perhaps provoke me.  This action fell into the context of a similar pattern of what had occurred in June and July the essentials of which were reported in my 23rd July 1998 fax to Mr Kingsford.  The results were worse and could only have occurred with the tacit approval of the TMO/EMB otherwise these tenants would not have done this.

I have elaborated on the these weekend events above on Friday, Saturday and Sunday following that fax to show the explicit reaction that I received to it.  The TMO has seen fit to not reply at all and left to the tenants this operation to terrorise me.  I do want to outline the context for this behaviour so it is clear and unmistakenly attributable:

11th June 1998 - 6:45 pm: Slamming of door below several times.  Woman screaming outside (unintelligible) but she does say “come out and fight” several times.  This goes on until a male comes out and brings her back inside.  I took this to be the woman from Flat xxx below due to the slamming of doors beforehand and the sound of her voice.  I had just had nine surgery stitches removed that day and did not need this harassment.

This same yelling occurred one more evening with this same woman going out to the footpath in front of the building and yelling, presumably at me, to come out and fight.  I have connected this earlier direct provocative behaviour to come out and fight with last week’s West Indian accented thugs saying “come on out, mon” in her presence clearly identified by her cackling laughter.  This is a consistent patter of threatening intimidation.

The following are noted in the attached copy of my 23rd July 1998 fax to Mr Kingsford:

4th July 1998 - 11:15 am: Guy outside yells “you leave her alone; I’m going to kill you if I get my hands on you, you [obscenity]”.  This male sounded just like the voice of xxxxxxx, a relative of the Flat xxx Tenant, who comes here at about this time on Saturdays to leave at least one child here by the name of xxxxxxx as has been noted in earlier communications to you.  

8th July 1998 - 7:25 pm: Sound of Honker outside followed by a guy with an black accent shouting “I’ll tear you into a million pieces . . .” among other things which I could not understand.  My kitchen light was on as I was cooking so it was clear that I was here.  Xxxxxxxx, the relative of the Flat xxx Tenant, honks his horn continuously many times a day upon daily arrival at the Estate from Whitchurch Road as this is the end of the building at that road.  I assumed that this was Xxxxxxx and someone with him, who upon seeing my light,  let out another string of verbally threatening statements to physically threaten me after having just threatened to kill me four days earlier.  

In no way have I ever bothered or done anything with regard to the Tenant in Flat xxx.  This whole problem is a direct result of the failure to repair the balcony drain pipe which comes from the roof and seeps into this flat when it rains.  Quite the contrary, I have done my utmost to try to protect this flat and facilitate repairs during a most difficult and life threatening situation for myself.  The Estate management, however, has sought to blame me for its failure to repair which is preposterous because they have had outside access to the balcony for inspection and repair all along and have availed themselves of this on Friday, 5th June 1998, when the supposed “repair” left the balcony demolished.  This outside “destruction” also showed that, if necessary, they could effect immediate repairs as it occurred on a day’s notice.  However, they failed to effect either repair or inspection (as they changed to include this further requirement although this was not indicated earlier until on or about Wednesday, 3rd June 199 .  

As a result of both this failure to repair the destruction of the balcony and inspect during the following week, I put up a protective, plastic cloth covering to keep the rain water off the balcony.  It was this which I did at my own expense and initiative that led to understanding exactly the source of the problem.  I communicated this along with a diagram and written summary to Mr Kingsford and yourself on Sunday, 14th June 1998.  This was a protective proposal which was turned down by the Estate management in its fax of 29th April 1998 and my subsequent second request was ignored.  The problem could have been solved at this time had this reasonable action been taken which was consistent with protecting the balcony and flat below.  I also want to point out that the work described as to be done was to lift the few balcony floor tiles near the drain pipe to repair this area.  Instead, on 5th June 1998 all 84 balcony floor tiles were removed and no cover was provided by the contractor for protection which would be normal in such roofing work, I believe.  

I wanted to reiterate these key points here but please refer to the attached faxes for my detailed information regarding the subsequent activity and harassment which was directed at me.  This had no foundation in fact whatsoever and forced me to remove the plastic cloth protection on 23rd July 1998 after the most base and groundless accusation of “dumping” water on the tenant below.  Such was never the case and would be impossible for me to do in any event given the construction of the plastic cover as described in the attached fax.  This behaviour is something I would never do.  

The TMO Surveyor, Mr Hewitt Grant, inspected the balcony on Wednesday, 24th June 1998.  He noted the plastic protective cover and the situation was described to him.  Diagrams and the written summary were also supplied to him.  The problem was as he originally noted on 21st April 1998 but was coming from inside the drain pipe (a leak during rain) and not outside as he originally thought.  Mr Grant noted and proposed that external access could be made at anytime to which I fully agreed noting that it would not disturb me, and the work could proceed whenever.  Although the plastic could simply be cut through, I suggested that he take my telephone number and let me know in advance of the repairs so that I could remove it to facilitate them and preserve the protective covering so that it might be used subsequent to the repair to verify that it was 100% effective.  Any further leaks when removed could be directly attributable to elsewhere on the balcony perhaps the floor or wall itself that was exposed to rain.  I sent a fax to Mr Kingsford to this effect on 24th June 1998  (copy attached).  

June turned out to be the second wettest month this century with some 5 inches of rain.  The wettest was last June. Most of this rain fell after I put up the protective plastic cloth on Friday, 12th June 1998.  The rain ceased with a very heavy overnight rainfall on 29th/30th June 1998.  There was no rain for the 10 days after that in July, and there has only been four significant days of rain in July with two of those falling on the World Cup Final weekend. Despite this good weather no balcony repair was effected.  

After the plastic protection had been up some six weeks and a month after Mr Hewitt Grant’s inspection, I removed the plastic cloth protection as a direct result of the continuing harassment by the tenant below in Flat xxx and her relatives, friends and other tenants in this area whom she had instigated to harassment.  This is thoroughly described in the attached fax to Mr Kingsford, and it could not have taken place without the support and cooperation of the Estate’s management as noted by what transpired.  This has continued to be the case.  

The disruptions to my private life and intimidating, threatening behaviour have continued as described above.  A consistent pattern of harassment intended to be disruptive of my quiet enjoyment has also persisted.  These have included repeated “drilling” noises and pounding whilst I was either in the kitchen or bathroom, and my presence detected.  This has also included yelling from the flat below.  Persistent and continuous slamming of the door to the flat below which no one around here does at all.  Works late at night until 1:30 am on at least two occasions last week.  Yelling outside my door by an upstairs tenant and the obvious dramatic rattling of rails at the same time which was clearly associated with the tenant in Flat xxx but by another tenant above.

There has been a persistent and continuous allowance of the visiting children in Flat xxx to play ball in the Walkway despite a clear sign which forbids such activity.  This was accompanied by adult participation on Saturday morning.  The name of one child is most always clearly called out by other participants: xxxxxxx.  And, a second child, xxxxxx, has had his name called as well, and I believe he is a visitor to Flat xxx as well  This ball playing goes on for hours at a time and is one of the noisiest activities imaginable.  Most important is that this activity is encouraged by and participated with the visiting adults associated with Flat xxx.

Last night was pivotal in the overall association of continuous and persistent harassment from Flat xxx and the one directly above me as the activity of each of these flats was coordinated and obviously directed at me.  At approximately 10:15 pm last night, I was absolutely sound asleep and “dreamt” that I heard these drilling noises.  I woke up thinking that I had dreamt it.  When I turned on a little light, though, at this time, the sound of a “beep” from a horn outside, car doors slamming and much laughter followed including some shouting.  It turned out that they were obviously hooting and honking because I had been disturbed.  Then the sound of the “drilling” resumed  for a few times along with the sound of hammering from underneath.  This was accompanied by excessive floor noises from the flat above which I could hear through my ceiling including the moving around of furniture on wheels.  These people were not going to sleep because they were up until 2:00 am as I was to later learn.  This “proved” to me that the “drilling” was clearly intended to disturb and disrupt my life, and that the tenant in the flat above was involved as well as I had already noted.  

I assume that the visitors were leaving Flat xxx, and they decided to see if they could disturb me which they did.  The balcony for the flat above is directly over me as well so that it is easy to shout back and forth to each of these flat’s balconies which they did when they saw the light.  Then the Tenant in xxx added the confirming touches with a few more drill sounds and pounding which ceased after a few minutes.  These were the sounds I had already associated with my presence in the kitchen or bathroom when running water could note my presence.  

I concluded in my fax to Mr Kingsford that these people associated with Flat 503 were viciously violent people.  I am even more convinced of that and fear for my physical well being and life.  All of this has come about because of a failure to repair the balcony now since Mr Hewitt Grant’s inspection on 24th June 1998 when there has been plenty of time, fine weather and unfettered access to the balcony.  On top of it all, when notified about the most vile of conduct imaginable, the TMO/EMB does nothing about.  In fact, judging by these actions which freely continue, they have been given the “nod” to proceed with this harassment whilst the Estate’s management willingly looks the other way.  This is why I call it Terror Management Operation.

This is the great danger and impossibility when allowing the tenants to manage in a situation like this.  There  is no confidentiality as all information comes right back to the tenants as is described in Mr Kingsford’s fax.  There is an institutionalisation of the worst elements of Estate behaviour which abrogates any proper tenets or legal standards.  But then I have been repeatedly bringing to your attention such failure in fundamental standards as they impact directly the health and safety of the tenants.  Your management structure is a failure, and I now find my life directly at risk not to say anything about my personal health with regard to the life threatening emergencies I am dealing with at present.  

It is a tragedy that the Estate management cannot repair your building.  The results have been not only disaster but the confirmation of all that I have been saying for the past two years.  

C O N F I D E N T I A L

Yours sincerely,

GDC/s/

attachments

Fax to MK/TMO sent at 13:25:44 on 24th June 1998 (Log number 634/File 634)
Fax to MK/TMO sent at 07:56:32 on 20th July 1998 (Log number 644/File 644)
Fax to MK/TMO sent at 11:11:25 on 24th July 1998 (Log number 651/File 651)