Couple accused of harassing neighbours were praying, court hears
A couple who were accused of harassing their neighbours by chanting and pointing their fingers while on a nearby beach were praying, a court has heard.
Nigel and Sheila Jacklin have been embroiled in an 11-year row with their neighbour, sparked by “noisy” building work.
The spat in the town of Bexhill-on-Sea, in East Sussex, saw the couple banned from looking into the home of neighbour Dr Stephane Duckett and his partner.
Earlier this year, they were again accused of “chanting, staring and sticking their fingers up” at their neighbour and his partner from a nearby beach. Both were charged with harassment, but claimed the chanting and finger-pointing were part of Mrs Jacklin’s Hindu prayer routine.
Mr Jacklin, 62, was also charged with assaulting a female friend of their neighbours during a separate row outside his £600,000 home.
All charges against the Jacklins – which they denied – were dropped on Tuesday when they appeared before magistrates in Brighton. They pleaded not guilty to harassment of their neighbour. Mrs Jacklin, 61, said the chanting, staring and movement of her fingers were a part of her Sanskrit mantras. Mr Jacklin also pleaded not guilty to an assault.
The Crown Prosecution Service had requested an adjournment, which was refused by the court – meaning no evidence was offered. The Jacklins were told they were “free to go”.
Mr Jacklin, a statistician and market researcher, said: “We are feeling relieved, elated and p----- off. This should never have gone to court.
“This is the fourth time my wife has been investigated for praying on the beach. We’ve been investigated 12 times, with no action taken against us in any case. That’s not a series of police mistakes – that is abuse of police power.”
Mr Jacklin, a councillor, said the couple had spent “tens of thousands of pounds” in legal fees over the repeated police investigations and court battles.
The row began in 2013 when Dr Duckett and Norinne Betjemann, his partner, bought a 120-year-old, disused glass glazing workshop opposite their house. The couple, from London, then set about converting it into a £400,000 weekend holiday home.
Mr and Mrs Jacklin made a series of complaints about their neighbours to the authorities, including noisy builders, verbal abuse and light pollution.
The Jacklins were then sent a community protection warning letter by Rother District Council. They were also banned from entering an “exclusion zone” around the property owned by Dr Duckett and Ms Betjemann.
In July last year, the Jacklins reported their neighbours for harassment when they claimed Mrs Jacklin was filmed as she tried to pray.
In September that year, Mr Jacklin claims he was assaulted after a friend of Dr Duckett approached them on the beach outside their home. As the couple made their way back to the house, Mr Jacklin claims the woman shouted to Mrs Jacklin: “The whole village wishes you were dead.”
He said he approached the woman and she “strangled” him before claiming he assaulted her, which he strongly denies.
He said: “The woman then claimed I bashed her against the fence, kicked her dog and repeatedly headbutted her. It was completely made up. When she throttled me, she came at me again and I put my hand out to stop her. That was the only contact we had.”
Mr Jacklin said CCTV footage of the three minutes in which the assault took place were never found, despite a request by his solicitors.
‘We should stand against abuse of power’
He called the ordeal a “spectacular misuse of police time”, adding: “I stood in the general election, and one of the reasons I decided to do so is because the police investigated us and not our neighbours. We should stand against abuse of power.
“My wife’s Hindu faith has helped her get through this. We’ve been there for 30 years and plan to live here forever.”
Dr Duckett has been contacted for comment.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: “We requested an adjournment in this case in order to discharge our disclosure obligations following late submissions by the defence. Unfortunately, this request was refused by the court and we were regrettably left with no option but to offer no evidence.”
The Jacklins dispute the Crown Prosecution Service comment that there were late submissions by their defence lawyers.
A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Sussex Police conducted a thorough, impartial investigation into multiple reports of harassment, and one reported assault, against three people between July and September 2023.
“Inquiries were conducted without prejudice, including multiple statements from the informants and witnesses, as well as interviews with both suspects.
“Evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which approved charges of harassment and assault by battery, before no evidence was offered after magistrates declined a request for adjournment from the Crown Prosecution Service.
“Sussex Police will continue to do all it can to protect our communities and secure justice for victims of crime.”