Moment man climbed onto roof and threw tiles at his neighbours ‘as he “systematically destroyed” two houses during seven-year-long row over a fence’

This is the moment a man climbed onto a roof and threw tiles at his neighbors as he ‘systematically destroyed’ two homes at the end of a bitter seven-year row over a fence.

Mark Coates, 57, punched a hole in the roof of the semi-detached houses before climbing out and throwing the tiles to the ground, a court heard.

His terrified neighbor Janice Turner, 66, watched in tears as she saw the destruction of her property.

After feeling a tile fly past her face, she called the police and after a standoff lasting more than two hours, Coates was eventually arrested, the court was told.

The alleged incident on June 10 in Robertsbridge, near Hastings, this year ended the seven-year dispute between neighbors over their shared border, which began when a fence panel fell down.

Lewes Crown Court heard Coates, 57, barricaded himself in his home and began ‘systematically destroying’ the house to reduce its value.

The court heard that after years of litigation, the case finally went to the High Court, where a judge ruled against Coates.

As a result, properties had to be sold to reimburse Ms Turner and Mr Greenwood’s legal costs, as well as the damage caused to their property and compensation for the harassment they suffered.

Mark Coates (right) arrives at Lewes Crown Court for a trial over a border dispute

Janice Turner (pictured with partner Brian Greenwood), 66, watched in tears as she watched the destruction of her belongings

But just three days before he was due to hand over the house keys, Coates decided to cause extensive damage to the three-bedroom property, the jury heard.

The video, taken with a police body-worn camera, shows officers trying to reason with Coates and lure him off the roof.

The court heard Coates told officers: ‘This house was stolen from me by a judge and corrupt police. I will do as much damage as possible to devalue the house.”

Although not captured on video, Coates then climbed over the roof and began smashing tiles from the neighbor’s adjacent home and throwing them into their yard.

Miss Turner said: ‘There were all kinds of loud noises coming from his house, banging and clattering.

‘I went into the garden and Mr Coates was in and he punched a hole in the inside of his attic space and he cut the batons and knocked the tiles off the roof.

‘He picked up a few and threw them in the garden towards me. I was standing at my greenhouse and felt the debris from the roof hitting my face.”

She said that when the hole was big enough for Coates to climb through, he scrambled onto the roof.

Coates made a hole in the roof, climbed out and started throwing tiles onto the ground

Janice Turner (pictured), 66, and her partner, David Greenwood, 70, claim they lived in fear of violence following long-running dispute with Mark Coates

Miss Turner said: ‘He proceeded to remove everything from that roof and then broke through the party wall and completely removed the best part of the roof at the rear of my property.

‘I couldn’t believe what I saw. I was very upset, I was very scared and I cried. I felt very, very scared.

“He systematically and vindictively destroyed the property. He made a hole in the beams. He took the stairs out of his house. His goal was to destroy and diminish its value. It was calculating and hateful.”

Mr Greenwood told the jury: ‘Tiles were thrown everywhere, chimney pots were smashed. I was quite shocked. I’ve never seen anyone destroy a house like this. The whole situation got completely out of hand. It was just complete, utter destruction.”

In the video, shown to the court, Coates told officers his goal was to cause as much damage as possible.

He said he wanted the charges to be serious enough that he would get a jury trial in which he could expose officials who used “corruption and bias” to rob him of his home.

Coates was eventually arrested and charged with two counts of harassment and two counts of criminal damage. He denies all accusations.

Janice Turner, 66, and her partner, David Greenwood, 70, claim they lived in fear of violence following the long-running dispute with Mark Coates.

Coates was previously accused of repeatedly swearing at the couple when they were in the garden, throwing stones at their bedroom window and at their car and making them feel intimidated.

The court heard Coates drove his VW van to the garage where Mr Greenwood worked as a mechanic.

While diagnosing a car outside the garage, Coates drove straight at him.

Rio Pahlavanpour, prosecuting, said Greenwood had to move ‘forcefully’ to avoid being hit by the accelerating van.

Later the couple were walking to their car when Coates came into his garden and threatened to slit their throats, the jury heard.

Miss Turner told the jury: ‘David went through the gate and he came back and he said, ‘He’s just threatened to cut my throat’ and I said, ‘I know I heard him.’

“I heard him say, ‘I’ll cut your throat.’ It was directed at both of us. “I was concerned because I believed that at that point he had been granted bail for something and was not allowed to contact us.”

On a second occasion, Mr Greenwood was walking to his greenhouse when Coates swore at him again and said: ‘You’re taking the bloody p*ss.’

The case continues.