Residents in a Sandy retirement home say they are being '˜terrorised' by a new tenant

The mainly female residents of Handley Court on Bunyan Road, say they are now too afraid to leave their self contained flats after the man was moved in around three months ago.

One resident told the Chronicle: “Residents accept that [he] needs help and want to see that happen but here at Handley Court he is a danger to the other, more frail and very frightened people who live here.”

Many of the residents, who pay around £580 a month in rent to Housing & Care 21 for their apartments, are in their 80s and 90s.

They say since the man moved into the retirement home they have suffered:

>verbal abuse on a daily basis

>the man sleeps in the communal lounge rather than his own flat which means residents cannot use it.

>he has threatened families, including small children, who have come to visit relatives

>he goes out leaving the main doors open, creating a security risk

>carers and cleaners have refused to come to Handley Court

>police are regularly called to the home

>a staff member was physically attacked.

>he wanders round the complex, sometimes wrapped in just a towel

A resident said: “All in all this is a very unstable situation with residents petrified. I am at the end of my tether and it is affecting my health badly. It’s like being in prison and I am scared but it seems that there is nothing anyone can do and nobody cares.”

Another resident said: “People are living in fear and it’s upsetting an awful lot of people.

“It’s been an absolute nightmare living here.

“It was a very quiet residential complex for the retired elderly. We just feel that we have been abandoned.”

A police spokesman confirmed that police had been called out to the court 13 times in the past eight weeks.

A spokesperson for Housing & Care 21 said: “We are aware of incidents of anti-social behaviour involving a particular resident at Handley Court and have been working with the police and other agencies to address their behaviour. We are currently following appropriate legal procedures with a view to ending the tenancy if required standards of behaviour can’t be met.

“I can confirm a member of staff was assaulted, resulting in the arrest of the individual concerned. Staff, including external care staff who visit residents, have been informed about the actions taken in response to the individual’s behaviour and are continuing to work at the Court as usual, as far as we are aware.”