A former social worker who took part in a five year row with his neighbour has been evicted after pushing a raw octopus through her letterbox.
Anthony Kenyon vandalised neighbour Margaret Ilkovikcs’ home by shoving the raw octopus through her letterbox and splattered the home in raw eggs and cocoa powder.
The row stemmed from an argument over a shrine to Ilkovikcs' late husband Richard, which Kenyon claimed was a "health and safety breach".
Kenyon was handed a 13 month suspended sentence and slapped with a new four-year restraining order and was ordered to complete 25 rehabilitation activity days. He was also evicted from his Salford home.
Kenyon was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court
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The shrine, placed under a pussy willow tree, included ornaments, a memory box and shrubs.
However, Kenyon uprooted the 3ft tree, killed off the plants with weed killer and damaged the ornaments. He also wrote notes claiming Margaret only married Richard, who died of cancer aged 55 in 2018, for his money.
The row broke out shortly after the shrine appeared in the communal garden, and he was first convicted of harassment in September 2018.
Kenyon was convicted again in February 2019, and then in 2020 he was given a two-year restraining order against Margaret which was ignored.
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Anthony Kenyon vandalised neighbour Margaret Ilkovikcs’ home by shoving the raw octopus through her letterbox
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Ilkovikcs, a grandmother, told MailOnline: "He tormented me and hounded me day after day, night after night. It was a living hell. I was a prisoner in my own home. I could hear him banging and shouting abuse through the walls.
"I was scared to leave my front door as he’d be out there ready for me if I left. I really want to end it and kill myself. It was horrendous. I would cry out for my husband even though he died. I was terrified. But it even started when Richard was alive as he tore plants up. I miss my husband so much. I loved him with all my heart.
"One time he threw a brush at my head. I genuinely feared he would kill me or at least hurt me badly. He came at me a few times with genuine hatred and anger. It was terrifying.
"He’d also target a few other neighbours, pouring petrol on gardens and super-glued locks. But they were scared to report him in case he targeted them."
After Kenyon was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court, Ilkovikcs said: "I am so happy he’s not living next door to me anymore and has been evicted.
"‘I can smile again and finally look forward to a happy Christmas after all this time. But in the back of my mind, I’m worried he will come back and it will start again.
"However, I can feel relieved that justice has been done and he won’t be living next door to me again.
"My living nightmare may finally be at an end. It’s been hell."