South Tyneside nightmare neighbour handed lifetime Criminal Behaviour Order

Wasim Chaudry, of St Vincent Street in South Shields, was given the indefinite Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) earlier this month.

The order was enforced after officers at Northumbria Police raised a series of concerns about his continued disorder in the community, which caused misery to other local residents.

The 52-year-old has been arrested more than 40 times, with his previous convictions including assault, burglary and criminal damage.

Earlier this year, he was jailed for two years after he smashed a hole through the floorboards of his own flat and broke into his neighbour’s home.

The victim returned from a work trip in March 2022 to find Chaudry living in his flat, consuming his food and drink, after causing thousands of pounds in damage.

He also flooded a property on the street twice, as well as repeated anti-social behaviour (ASB) such as throwing items onto the street from his window and making continuous loud noise.

Under the CBO, Chaudry now faces arrest if he enters any other property on St Vincent Street, loiters on the road or causes issues for his neighbours.

He is also barred from a number of premises in the local area.

The order, which was served at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on July 6, also states that he should not drop or throw items in the street or cause excessive noise.

As the CBO was granted for life, Chaudry will be excluded from the area completely should he move away.

Inspector Ross Halpin, of Northumbria Police, has welcomed the order and hopes that it will curb Chaudry’s offending when he is released from prison.

He said: “We hope those who live, work in and visit South Shields – and also the wider area – will join us in welcoming the restrictions placed upon Chaudry.

“Time after time, his bizarre and selfish actions have caused utter misery to those around him in the community.

“The majority of reports we’ve received about his anti-social behaviour centre around him causing significant alarm and disorder, making life difficult for others, and particularly for his fed-up neighbours on St Vincent Street.

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“To put it bluntly, he is a nightmare neighbour who has completely exhausted all chances he has been offered to turn this behaviour around.

“Instead of working with police and partners, and following the terms of a previous civil injunction, Chaudry has continued to cause a nuisance and repeatedly break the law – at the expense of residents and businesses in the area.

“Officers have worked tirelessly to secure an indefinite Criminal Behaviour Order which will place a number of restrictions on Chaudry for life to help to keep the public and workers safe.

“Should Chaudry choose to ignore the conditions of this agreement when he is released from prison, he will face re-arrest and a potential further jail term.

“We hope that this news offers reassurance to the wider community and, as a Force, we will continue to do everything in our power to act on concerns reported and bring effective justice against prolific offenders.”