60-year-old R&B fan who played music so loud he damaged own hearing fined for keeping neighbours awake

A 60-year-old R&B fan, who played music so loudly he damaged his own hearing, has been fined hundreds of pounds after keeping his neighbours awake for over a year.

Michael McCatty of Twickenham Gardens, Harrow Weald, did not let complaints from neighbours spoil listening to his favourite jams for 16 months.

Instead, he had his own private parties, blasting out music into the early hours in his Harrow home.

Environmental Health Officers were inundated with dozens of complaints over the 16-month period and issued a noise abatement notice and repeated warnings, but McCatty insisted he was the victim and was not disturbing anyone.

On one occasion when environmental health officers visited his home to warn him, McCatty could not hear them shouting through the letterbox or banging on windows over the noise caused by his music.

McCatty claimed his hearing loss made it more difficult to determine what level to play his music.

The R&B fan told Willesden Magistrates Court that he expected his neighbours to knock on the door and ask for the music to be turned down - even at 1am.

'Disgraceful and disrespectful behaviour'

Cllr Graham Henson, cabinet member for environment said: “This is incredible – McCatty thought he was the victim when instead it was his neighbours who had to endure his disgraceful and disrespectful behaviour for over a year.

“I don’t have a problem with people enjoying their music , but when it causes an ongoing nuisance for neighbours it become our problem.

"And when this happens, we won’t hesitate to take tough action – like we did with McCatty.”

Harrow Council prosecuted McCatty after ignoring multiple warnings to pipe down - including three warnings for breaching his noise abatement notice.

He was found guilty of one charge of breaching a noise abatement notice after a trial on June 13, and ordered to pay a £120 fine, £500 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge on the same day.

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