Man 'driven insane' by noise admits killing fish

A man "driven completely insane" by the sound of a water pump in a pond has admitted using motor oil and detergent to kill his neighbour's fish, a court has heard.

Gerry Duffy, 76, of Hadley Road, Barnet, north London, pleaded guilty on the day of his trial at Willesden Magistrates' Court to damaging the pond, fish, water pump and pipes in March.

His defence, Elliott Stern, told the court: "The man has been driven completely insane by this noise, he's spoken to the complainant several times."

The prosecution told the court that "five or six" Koi carp were killed and CCTV images captured Duffy "climbing into the garden" to break the water pump and pipes.

Shahid Iftakhar, prosecuting, told the court the "neighbour dispute" between Dufffy and his neighbour, Andreas Ptohides, potentially caused £565 of damage.

He said: "The defendant has previously complained to the complainant about noise coming from his garden and has said words to the effect of, 'if you didn't deal with it, I would' – there was a warning before the incident."

The prosecution added that Duffy was captured on CCTV having "climbed into the complainant's garden and damaged the water pipes and pumps".

In mitigation, Stern added that the neighbour "initially said they would stop the water pump going but then turned around and said that's not good for the fish".

An environmental officer came to the house and told Duffy he either had to "move or close his window", the court heard.

"Out of sheer frustration and lack of sleep, Mr Duffy, out of character, I would say, lost his mind and committed various damages," said Stern.

Duffy will be sentenced later on Tuesday.

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