Disputes with neighbours can sometimes escalate to intolerable levels.
Such was the case for a resident in Telok Blangah, who reported his neighbour for hoarding items in the corridor.
The latter then allegedly retaliated by hanging rotten food outside his house.
Despite filing a police report and contacting the town council, the situation has not improved by much.
On 2 Jan, Rafael posted about his predicament on Reddit. He also asked for advice on what to do regarding the situation.
Source: Reddit
Speaking to MS News, he said that his neighbour at Block 19 in Telok Blangah Crescent had previously hoarded items in the common corridor.
Image courtesy of Rafael
This made walking in the area difficult as clothes would get stuck on the items, and the space also became too narrow for a bicycle to pass through.
Image courtesy of Rafael
“I did sit on it and spoke to him nicely before but to no avail,” Rafael stated. “Lots of excuses from him about keeping his things.”
He eventually reported the matter to Tanjong Pagar Town Council in September 2022.
After the first report, his neighbour told him that he was keeping the items for the benefit of another elderly resident.
The items were there so that he would have something to hold onto if he felt “faint” while walking down the corridor.
“If the old man was to grab onto any items outside, wouldn’t they all topple over together with him?” Rafael questioned.
Image courtesy of Rafael
Rafael then continued to file multiple reports with the town council.
After several warning notices, the town council cleared the neighbour’s belongings on 7 Dec last year.
“He came back making a fuss about it with another neighbour,” Rafael shared. “Shortly after that, my electricity was switched off from the outside. Who else but him?”
Rafael subsequently installed a CCTV outside his unit in the hallway. The week after, his neighbour began leaving rotten food in the corridor.
Image courtesy of Rafael
“At first it was some oily concoction left under the stool outside his house,” he said. “Later on he progressed to hanging rotten food in containers on the wall outside his home, facing our gate.”
Image courtesy of Rafael
This occurred on more than one occasion, with the containers containing rotting food including what appeared to be meat.
Some of them would be hanging from poles and wires attached to the walls of the corridors, while others were inside bigger containers.
Image courtesy of Rafael
Sharing a picture of the concoction, Rafael noted that it gave off a bad stench as well.
Image courtesy of Rafael
According to footage provided to MS News by Rafael, his neighbour would also spray what was allegedly pesticide into the corridor, aiming it at his door.
Image courtesy of Rafael
Rafael alleged that he did so every day, with some drops landing on his own gate.
Image courtesy of Rafael
He had also begun bringing back some of the items he would hoard out into the corridor since the town council removed them.
About two days ago, the man defended his actions to local reporters by stating that the rotten food and insecticide were to deter cats from defecating at the corridor.
However, Rafael pointed out that he had a cat of his own, and such animals usually did not loiter in the area.
“They actually loiter around his things,” he said. “He doesn’t want cats to come, but he doesn’t mind attracting flies and maggots to his rotten food placed outside.”
Another CCTV image shared by Rafael showed one such stray cat bypassing the rotten food to linger near the hoarded items.
Image courtesy of Rafael
“This photo was from when he already placed the oily concoction,” Rafael said. “The cat doesn’t even care.”
His neighbour also placed trolleys at the staircase landing of the block, which further attracted the cats.
Image courtesy of Rafael
Rafael told MS News that he eventually filed a police report regarding the matter.
However, police informed him that since there was nothing criminal in nature about his behaviour, they could not do anything about it except let the local town council and neighbourhood patrol know.
MS News has reached out to Tanjong Pagar Town Council and will update the story when it replies.
Rafael now appeals for advice online, adding that he was looking for a new home.
“My wife and I are looking in the market for one now but we’ll still be here awhile,” he said.
Also read: Yishun Neighbours Endure Loud Banging & Verbal Abuse For Over 5 Months, Appeal For Help
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image courtesy of Rafael.
The salmon had become too thin because it "exercised too much", a netizen joked.
A disruption occurred on the Circle Line about four hours later on the same day.
Mr Seetoh Kwok Meng was the "most jovial" among his siblings, said Mr KF Seetoh.
The customer wanted to pay in cash only and rejected the rider's request to transfer…
The coroner said this was the first case of its kind he had encountered in…
The brand-new jet suffered a series of technical issues since its first-ever flight on 19…