A NIGHTMARE neighbour who harassed his neighbours for 15 years like a "predator waiting to pounce" has been hauled before a court.

       Brendan Murphy made the lives of Christopher and Margaret Boyd hell - a couple who say they're scared to leave their ￡600,000 home in Disley, Greater Manchester.

       2

       Murphy makes his neighbours feel constant stress and anxiety Credit: Cavendish

       The 82-year-old branded the pair a "peeping Tom" and "a tart" after local gossip drove a wedge between the neighbours.

       Murphy would heckle at Christopher, 79: ''Morning Tom, how’s your tart today’?''

       In another nasty encounter, the pensioner called out: “You can do a lot of peeping from up there, you peeping Tom,” while Christopher was fixing his roof.

       “Make sure you don’t fall off that roof, I won’t be able to give you the kiss of life," he added.

       Read More FLAT WRONG Our lives were ruined by nightmare neighbour - now they owe us ￡16k

       NEIGHBOURS FROM HELL My neighbours have complained 13 times in 3 days about my toddler

       In a desperate bid to stop abuse being hurled at them, the couple built a six-foot high privacy fence and installed CCTV.

       After Murphy's disgusting taunts were captured on camera and audio recordings, he was slapped with a harassment notice which instructed him to limit all communication with the Boyds to "good morning".

       Unfortunately, this didn't mark the end of his campaign of terror and he was issued a restraining order - which he breached in 2015.

       By 2021 he had been convicted for harassment.

       Most read in The Sun

       TRAGIC TOT Horror as 'gorgeous' boy, 2, in Pudsey pyjamas is left to die alone next to dad

       BALTIC BRRR-ITAIN Met Office warns MORE snow to hit most of UK sparking travel chaos

       'REVENGE' ACT Footballer knifed to death after 'making "unavoidable" contact with killer'

       over and out Love Island chaos as Jake Cornish QUITS All Stars after just three days

       The following year he was convicted of breaching the restraining order again and breaching community orders.

       He was brought before a bench once again for trying to talk to the couple in the street.

       To document the concerning encounter, Christopher started filming, and Murphy said: “‘Put that away you bloody.

       "What is wrong with you? Look at the grin on your face?

       "It is the only time you grin otherwise you are looking really mechanical and horrible but you have no need to.''

       He then told Margaret: “I thought you were a decent woman.

       "What is your problem? I am quite happy to talk to you. I do not know what you gain by doing this.”

       In a statement to police Christopher reported this meeting made him "extremely angry" and he felt Murphy had been "goading" him.

       "If we are hanging out our washing in the garden, we are continually listening for his door being opened," the court heard.

       "It has taken over our lives. We cannot relax even when he is gone because we are continually listening for his return.

       “It is upsetting to see Murphy insulting my wife. If we are going to walk down the road we have to check if he is in the garden because he will go out on his footpath when we walk past."

       'He thinks it is fun to bully me'

       The concerned husband said he is "really anxious" when his wife walks past Murphy's property on her own.

       The court heard the pensioner takes "absolutely no notice" of the court orders in place and Christopher has forgotten about living "a stress free life".

       Murphy is "unpredictable" and sparked fears over their "safety and mental well-being", the desperate homeowner claimed.

       “I feel intimidated when he approaches or when I hear his voice. I feel like it will never stop," Christopher in his statement.

       "For the last 15 years I have had to do a safety check whenever I go out or even go into the garden. It is a completely unnatural way to live.”

       Margaret added: "I feel that he is a predator stalking and feel like he's continually looking for opportunities to harass me.

       "I think he thinks it is fun to bully me.”

       She claimed the abuse has caused her to lose confidence and stirs up "overwhelming dread and anxiety".

       “I cannot walk down the road without psyching myself up in case he is around. I do not feel safe," the court heard.

       The 77-year-old described him as a "predator waiting to pounce" which in turn makes her "feel like a prisoner in my own home".

       After 15 years of harassment the couple are begging for a "peaceful life" again.

       'It is a very serious matter'

       Murphy appeared at Chester magistrates court and was convicted of breaching a restraining order and was sentenced to six months jail suspended for two years.

       He was also made subject of an indefinite restraining order prohibiting him from speaking to his neighbours in ''any way.''

       JP Olga Randall told him: ''This is not the first time you've been in court for these matters and I would be ashamed at hearing this.

       "When people are having to come to court to look for relief just so they can go about living their lives it is a very serious matter."

       The magistrate told Murphy the custody threshold had been passed but due to his old age his sentence would be suspended.

       Earlier Michael O’Kane, prosecuting said: “The victims have been neighbours of the defendant since 1984 and Mr and Mrs Boyd have been subject to a campaign of harassment at the hands of the defendant for many years.

       ''Bad feeling between the parties started in around 2008 and subsequently there have been a number of convictions all of which relate to harassment and breaching of restraining orders that Mr and Mrs Boyd have had in place.

       "The parties are still neighbours and the situation does not look like it is going to change anytime soon.

       "The victims want no contact whatsoever with the defendant. They just want to be left alone.”

       'Resolve the problems'

       Murphy, who represented himself told the court: "I am the longest serving resident on that road and when I came across Mr and Mrs Boyd when they came to live there I did give him and his wife support.

       ''But when my wife became seriously ill, there was a situation when she did not want people to come and visit her and because of that the result of that was that the Boyds suddenly completely turned in their attitude towards me and made complaints about me."

       READ MORE SUN STORIES BUG OFF The 52p trick to banish spiders from your home - and it smells amazing too

       FREEZE FRAME I had the most embarrassing moment on a Zoom call because of my outfit choice

       He maintained the he was just trying to "resolve the problems" when he spoke to the couple in his latest breach.

       "But they never wanted anything to do with me," he added.

       2

       Murphy was sentenced to six months suspended for two years Credit: Cavendish