Trouble-hit dad Michael Brennan openly admits he has been arrested for drug dealing. He candidly confesses that police have raided his Oxford home six times.
But he draws the line at his neighbours publicly humiliating him by printing allegations that he is a "neighbour from hell", that started after they complained about his noisy family.
Now he could face eviction from the housing association house where he and his wife, Beverley, live with their four children.
While he freely says he only has himself to blame for drawing attention to his semi-detached home in Frys Hill, Greater Leys, Oxford, he has angrily protested at the circulation of a community newsletter which branded his family "the worst on the estate".
The couple have now promised to clean up their act in a bid to avoid eviction. They told the Oxford Mail that the newsletter had made a number of accusations without giving them a right to reply - or without naming them.
The leaflet singled out the Brennan family in Long Ground and claimed they:
Frequently played loud music
Kept a dog which barked repeatedly and nipped the ankles of passers-by
Were subjected to numerous police raids
Carried out endless car repairs.
The Oxford Mail visited Mr Brennan at his home. He and his wife look after four children, Jimmy, 14, Vicky, 11, Jolene, four, and Michael, six months. Mrs Brennan is five months pregnant, so the family may be forced to move simply because of a lack of space.
Little Michael plays in his baby-walker quite happily alongside the family's imposing but very friendly pet dog, bought because it resembled the hound in the movie Turner and Hooch.
The sitting-room is adorned with a crystal chandelier, which overlooks a jumbled mix of computer equipment.
Although the Brennans' lifestyle appears slightly chaotic, they are angry that the Blackbird Leys Independent Working Class Association distributed the leaflet without consulting them.
Mr Brennan, 34, has lived with his wife at the semi-detached house owned by Oxford Citizens Housing Association for the past three years. He admits: "We have been noisy in the past but now we are trying to improve." Mrs Brennan adds: "The housing association is trying to evict us but that is because of rent arrears. We are trying to pay off what we owe."
Mr Brennan, a mechanic, says he has been doing lots of car repairs on vehicles outside his home but was looking for a garage where the work could be done instead.
"We did have a dog which was a bit nippy," he says, "so I got rid of it." He adds that the home had been raided six times by police.
"We have been busted six times, and I have been done for possession with intent to supply. I had half a bar of hash and a bag of amphetamines but it was just for my own use.
Mr Brennan, who admits he has spent time in prison for driving offences, says: "On one occasion police burst in and took the door completely of its hinges."
A spokesman for the Blackbird Leys Independent Working Class Association, which circulated the leaflet, has called on the authorities to act swiftly.
He says: "We want action now and that is why we put out the leaflet. We don't think enough is being done by the housing association to address the issue."
He admits that the problem family's behaviour had improved in recent weeks. "It has gone very quiet recently but we are concerned that could be the calm before the storm," he adds.
David Ashmore, chief executive of Oxford Citizens Housing Association, says: "Long Ground is a nice street to live in.
"We are well aware of this situation and have been taking action to make sure the family is aware of their obligations to us as landlords, and more importantly to their neighbours.
"We have made it clear to the family that we will take legal action if they don't try to respond to these problems."
He adds that measures under the new Crime and Disorder Act allowed police and landlords to obtain an "anti-social behaviour order" against problem families in a criminal court. An eviction order has to be obtained in the county court and this can be a lengthy process.
David Truesdale, area housing manager for Ealing Family, adds: "Anti-social behaviour is a problem for the entire community and cannot be tackled by us as landlords alone. It requires everyone to work together - the police, the local authority, the courts, ourselves and residents."
Police Supt John Carr says: "We are working with the housing associations throughout the city in an effort to deal with anti-social behaviour. By working together the issues can be resolved."
Blackbird Leys councillor Tony Stockford says: "I have heard these complaints and the matter is in the hands of all the relevant agencies to see if there is a case to answer under the latest legislation regarding anti-social neighbours."
Story date: Saturday 27 November
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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