A Pembroke Dock man who continued to bang on his ceiling and shout abuse at an upstairs neighbour has admitted breaching a Community Protection Notice.

Paul McNally of Laws Street, Pembroke Dock, pleaded guilty to the offence following a prosecution by Pembrokeshire County Council.

He appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Wednesday, November 19.

McNally has now been placed under a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

Should he continue to offend, breaching a CBO brings the risk of a prison sentence.

Magistrates were told that McNally had previously been served a Community Protection Warning (CPW) following complaints that he was banging on the ceiling and impacting the tenant living above.

McNally falsely claimed that he was banging the ceiling in retaliation to noise from the upstairs flat.

However, following complaints to the Council, evidence was recorded using The NoiseApp and sound monitoring equipment which showed McNally banging and shouting expletives when the tenant was simply going about her business, for example running her taps or flushing the toilet.

The shouting and thumping the ceiling caused the neighbour significant alarm and distress.

The CPW was served directing McNally not to create noise or abuse other tenants but the behaviour continued and further evidence was collected.

As a result the Council served a Community Protection Notice (CPN), again directing him not to behave in this manner.

Unfortunately, the poor behaviour persisted and the Council prosecuted for breach of the CPN, which is served under terms of The Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Magistrates fined McNally £162 and ordered him to pay a £65 Victim Surcharge and £1,000 in fees to Pembrokeshire County Council.

Magistrates imposed the CBO on McNally with the aim of preventing further noise and abuse.

Any breach of the CBO will be referred back to the Court which can result in a custodial sentence.

Cllr Jacob Williams said: "A Community Protection Notice is a formal legal notice that can be issued by Councils to curb this sort of nuisance behaviour, which can have an awful impact on people's quality of life.

“Unfortunately the CPN in this case was not complied with, so the authority was left with no option but to take the matter to court. The result is a conviction, coming at a significant cost to the defendant, which wouldn't have happened had the CPN been followed."