Nightmare neighbour turns into first particular person banned from each house besides her personal
The ground-breaking legal move comes following a string of public order, theft and drug-related offences as well as breaches of a Criminal Behaviour Order.
A neighbour from hell has been banned from every home except her own(Image: Lincolnshire Police / SWNS)
A neighbour-from-hell is believed to have become the first person in Britain to be banned from every home in her town – except her own.
Courtney Balloch, 33, has been barred from stepping foot inside any residential property in Gainsborough, Lincs., where she is not listed on the tenancy after putting locals through misery. The ground-breaking legal move comes following a string of public order, theft and drug-related offences as well as breaches of a Criminal Behaviour Order.
Police officers applied for the order after efforts to protect the community from Balloch’s “persistent antisocial, threatening, and abusive behaviour” and said her history of offending “spanned a significant period”.
Lincolnshire Police confirmed the civil anti-social behaviour injunction issued on February 27 was the first of its kind for the force but it is also believed to be a possible UK first. In 2008, a nuisance tenant was banned from every council residential property in York but there appears to be no other reported cases of anyone being blacklisted from every home in their area.
West Lindsay NPT Inspector Michael Head, who coordinated the injunction said “This injunction is an important step in protecting our community. We have worked tirelessly to address the pattern of antisocial and harmful behaviour involved in this case, and the restrictions now in place are designed to prevent further disruption or distress to residents.
“Our priority is, and always will be, ensuring that people in Gainsborough feel safe in their own homes and communities. To get someone banned from all properties is a rarity and our work has been shared with Notts colleagues.”
Balloch is now prohibited from entering any residential property in Gainsborough for the next three years unless she is named on the tenancy or has written permission from the landlord or homeowner. It also prevents her from engaging in any anti-social behaviour that causes or is likely to cause nuisance, annoyance, harassment, alarm, or distress to people in Gainsborough.
She is also banned from contacting certain specified individuals, using or threatening violence against anyone in Gainsborough, entering any shop in Retford, Notts., participating in the Shopwatch Scheme, or encouraging others to engage in similar behaviour. Balloch faces being caged for up to two years or slapped with an unlimited fine if she breaches the conditions.
After the force shared details of the injunction on social media many in the town reacted with relief but some were also sympathetic to her plight and said she had fallen on hard times. One person wrote: “I don’t care what anyone says, I went to school with her and I’m sad this is how her life has become. A little bit of empathy wouldn’t go amiss. This is sad and a shame… I hope she heals”.
Another commented: “I know her mother and their good people… its an absolute shame and we should all be sympathetic and pray for her… she was a good kid once… given a chance will be again.”
But a third commented “Just lock her up…she causes that much trouble” while another added: ” if she is being a nuisance and being threatening then she needs to be locked up.”
