Man evicted for homophobic hate campaign
A man who made his neighbours’ lives hell has been served with a 56-day eviction notice.
Richard Leonard, 57, of Baldmoor Lake Road, Erdington, had been accused of waging a homophobic and anti-social hate campaign against his neighbours since May.
He had verbally and physically abused other residents and subjected one in particular to homophobic abuse.
Leonard was given a two-year Anti Social Behaviour Injunction (ASBI) by Birmingham city council, which prevents him from harassing or intimidating local residents and causing damage to their homes and vehicles.
His accomplice, Brian Sibley, 42, of nearby Portland Road, was given an 18-month ASBI which bars him from assaulting, verbally abusing, harassing or intimidating residents at Leonard’s old home.
In response to the verdict, a witness who gave evidence at court said: “My advice to anyone suffering from homophobic bullying is that you don’t have to put up with it and you shouldn’t. The support mechanisms are in place and the council has been absolutely fantastic in supporting me. I’m so glad I can now move forward with my life. To other victims I would say, don’t hesitate to get help.
“I would like to thank everyone who has supported me during this difficult time and helped to bring this spiteful bullying to an end.”
