The man was forbidden to contact her-but he did it anyway

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A woman who was hit by a drunk neighbor with a vacuum cleaner criticized the police for failing to prevent him from contacting her.

The man received a two-year restraining order in March to prevent him from calling the woman. She said the attack scared her and needed treatment. To stay away from him, she even moved to another area in Leicestershire.

But on October 9, the man called her and texted her. A few days later, the 57-year-old woman said that she had heard from a friend that the man had moved into a caravan 5 minutes' drive from her new home.

Read more: Stay up to date with the latest court news on LeicestershireLive

But she claimed that although she has repeatedly reported to the police about illegal contact, no action has been taken against the man for several weeks.

Describing the initial attack, she said: "He lives near me and we will say hello. Then one day he comes to my house because he wants to talk to his relatives about cancer—my father and I have also experienced it. Something similar.

"I said I didn't have time, but he said he would turn on the kettle, and he wanted me to spin around, so I did it later.

"At his house, he took out a Rambo style knife. He was obviously drunk. I tried to leave and he snatched my phone from the coffee table. When I wanted to go back, he refused and said He would cut off my dog’s head and put them on the nails.

"Then he picked up his vacuum cleaner and hit me with it."

The man was charged with assault and theft, but denied the crime, which means that the woman must attend the Leicester District Court trial earlier this year to provide evidence against him. She said it was a difficult experience, especially when the man's lawyer questioned her story.

She said: "When he was found guilty and sentenced to unpaid work and given a restraining order, I think it was all over.

"I moved to the other side of the county."

She added: “After he called and texted me on October 9th, I immediately called the police. They said that no one could come out that night. I waited for a few days.

"When an officer from the Loughborough Police Department came over, she said that since this man lives in Melton, the case should be handed over to them."

On October 28, the woman said in an interview with LeicestershireLive: "I have called five times and I am still waiting to talk to someone. Now I find him living near me. I am scared."

"The case has now been sent back from Melton Police to Loughborough Police. When I called the Professional Standards Department to file a complaint, they said that the officer in charge of the case was sick, so it has been a month since the incident happened. As far as I know, they haven't even spoken to him, let alone arrested him for violating a court order.

"It makes you wonder if anyone feels they need to pay attention to court orders.

"You see these people just like the one who killed Sara Everard. There are always reports against them, but nothing happened. Then Leicestershire police just said they didn’t attack Greville James. Na molested the child and apologized for any action.

"The police want to know why people arm themselves with knives.

"I used to work for the Leicestershire Police for eight years and I was very disappointed with them.

"I told a police officer that if this person comes to my house, I will take it in my own hands. He said I can't say that.

"If you let people go with impunity in violation of court orders, their behavior will only escalate.

"When this person attacked me, I thought I would be killed. Later I had to receive treatment because I was scared.

"I can't believe that the police did not take any action on this."

LeicestershireLive contacted the Police Press Office, the department in charge of media inquiries, regarding the woman's complaint on Thursday, October 28.

Seven days later, the force responded that it had now accused the man of violating the restraining order and apologized for his slow response to the allegations.

A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: "The police received a report from a woman last month stating that a man had contacted her and therefore violated a restraining order and he was barred from contacting as part of the order.

"Unfortunately, due to ongoing operational commitments, officials were initially unable to participate in the report. The investigators were taking sick leave and the criminal residency difference caused further delays.

"A lot of investigations have now been conducted and the man has been accused of violating the restraining order and has been remanded to appear in court.

"The lady has been informed of the latest news.

"We are sorry that the delay is not part of our usual service standards, and would like to assure complainants and the general public that we take reports of this nature very seriously and are committed to ensuring that such violations are thoroughly investigated."

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