A Hove property developer accused of racially stalking his neighbours over a planning dispute for six years has been ordered to stay away from them.
Laxley Pennant, who is black, was due to stand trial at Brighton Crown Court yesterday charged with the racially and religiously aggravated stalking of his white neighbours.
According to court documents, he was accused of battering Jolyn Furniss, spraying BLM (short for Black Lives Matter) on metal sheeting facing Furniss’ property and threatening him that Albanian scaffolders would sort him out.
He was also accused of threatening both Mr Furniss and his partner Emma Browne that “the brotherhood” would sort them out, as well as putting up signs with both racist and biblical references and telling Mr Furniss he would wish he never lived there.
However, the trial did not proceed after the prosecution agreed to withdraw the two charges in favour of a non-conviction restraining order instead.
Judge Adrian Chaplin told Pennant: “I sincerely hope that what happens today marks the end of any involvement of the criminal court arising from the fact that you live next door to the complainants in this case.
“Because the background of what’s been evidenced, even what you acknowledge without me proceeding to find you guilty of anything – you are not guilty – I’m going to make the order. It’s necessary to do so in order to protect a person from harassment.
“My sense of this is that short of the charges on the indictment, the sort of behaviour that seems to have been displayed either did cross the line or came so close to crossing the line that I have a real concern that feelings of the type you have, tempers running so high, there’s a risk of harassment.
“I sincerely hope that that wouldn’t happen but the history makes me feel it’s necessary to make this order.”
The order forbids Pennant from approaching or contacting Ms Browne or Mr Furniss directly or indirectly, except through solicitors in relation to property disputes.
It also bans him from contacting anyone who occupies or visits the pair’s home, or going to it, posting any material about them on the internet and social media, and unreasonably interfering with attempts to sell their property.
It lasts “until further order” – i.e. indefinitely.
The row between the neighbours was sparked by Pennant’s plans to convert a barn – Bo Peep’s barn – on his land in Henfield into a holiday let.
A planning application was turned down by Horsham District Council in 2017 on the grounds it would cause loss of privacy and more noise to neighbours, and damage the rural character of the area.
Planning documents show that Mr Furniss supported the plans at that point, and subsequent plans to turn it into a home, which were approved.
Pennant, 61, is a director of Benfield Investments, which held the leasehold for Benfield Valley in Hove, of which Brighton and Hove City Council is the freeholder.
The company was given planning permission to build more than 100 homes on part of the land in April – but cannot go ahead as the council has withdrawn landowner’s permission.
