AN ILMINSTER man who retaliated when his neighbour accused his children of being a noise nuisance by shouting and swearing at her in the street, a court has near.

Luke Smith lost his temper after the complainant had allegedly been shouting at his children from her bedroom window as they were playing in their back garden.

There was also an argument about trees being cut down where the defendant felt he was being victimised.

He confronted her in the street and began shouting and swearing at her after she told his partner she was “an awful mother” and said she was going to phone social services about them.

Smith, 30, of Adams Meadow, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress on August 2 last year when he appeared before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil.

Prosecutor Suzie Butler said that a few days before the incident the complainant and her husband were involved in an incident with the defendant’s children and dog in their garden.

On August 2 the complainant was outside her home address with a friend when Smith and his partner suddenly appeared and his partner started shouting at her.

“The defendant accused his neighbour of reporting them to their estate agent and he was so fired up and angry he was drooling from his mouth,” she said.

“Smith was shouting and swearing and said ‘you just want to get us f***ing out’ and the complainant felt scared while the incident lasted around five minutes.”

When the defendant was interviewed by police he said his neighbour had made a noise complaint about their children and as he was leaving his driveway he saw her in the street and she turned round and looked at him with a smirk on her face.

He said he thought they should have a chat with her and when his partner asked if she had been threatening her children the complainant said that she was “an awful mother.”

He said the complainant then said she was “phoning social services on them to have the children taken away from them” and admitted she had been videoing them.

Miss Butler said there was also a dispute about trees being cut down and said that Smith told the police he felt he was being victimised because he was privately renting his property.

A statement made by the victim said that she now felt very uncomfortable in her own house and could not relax as she did not know what would happen next.

She said: “I no longer feel relaxed sitting in the garden and we did not go for an arranged lunch because we were nervous about anything that might take place if we went out,” she said.

Defending himself, Smith told the court that he was now looking to relocate his family and had already viewed several properties.

“The kids do not feel happy in the property anymore and we want to move to avoid any ongoing further issues,” he said.

The magistrates imposed a six month conditional discharge on Smith and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £21 victim surcharge.