A MAN who harassed and threatened his neighbours has avoided jail and says he will move away.

Aleksander Perzylo was sentenced to 26-week suspended prison sentence after he admitted he had harassed the family next door over a three-year period.

The 71-year-old dramatically changed his plea to guilty before South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court was due to hear evidence in his defence in what would have been the third day of a trial.

The case centred on a dispute between Perzylo and his neighbours Andrew and Grace Currie who live in Barrow’s Rating Lane.

The pair said Perzylo had continually shouted abuse at his neighbours in a dispute that was said to have started over a garden fence.

The trial had previously been told Perzylo had set up a camera to spy on the family and film their movements.

He was also said to have pointed a bow and arrow at the couple.

Perzylo was arrested by police after threatening to kill the family, saying: “I’ll kill them all. I’m ex-SAS, I would know how to do it.”

Magistrates imposed a restraining order on the man prohibiting him from contacting the couple next door or entering their property.

He was also told not to point a camera at the house, take photographs or film.

Magistrates also said he would not be allowed to possess and bow and arrow in his house or garden.

And he was also banned from having a bow and arrow in a private or public place unless carried in a case to or from a archery or shooting club.

Perzylo was also banned from having contact with builder Steve Cotter who had been working on the Curries’ house.

Defending him, John Didsbury said: “Mr Perzylo and his wife have decided they no longer wish to live there and the house is on the market at the present time.

“I hope we can draw a line under this and both sets of parties can move on.

“He doesn’t accept everything that has been said.

“He accepts there have been occasions when he has acted inappropriately.

“It’s a neighbourly dispute and and custody would be excessive.”

Mr Didsbury said his client’s behaviour may have affected by steroids he had been taking for various ailments.

“There have been concerns his behaviour had changed because of these steroids.

“His doctor has said there is potential for this medication to adversely affect someone.

“It’s speculation as to whether that’s the reason behind what happened but it does go some way to explain it.”

He added: “This is not a situation where he has decided to target them and make life hard for them.

“Neighbourly disputes are never clean cut. It’s quite often six of one and half a dozen of the other."

The solicitor also said Perzylo had never been in the SAS and he would never have said it in his threat.

Magistrates also re-sentenced him for a community order imposed after he threatened violence to police officers over the phone at Barrow Police Station.