A MAN who breached a court order made after he set up a laughing machine to annoy his neighbours has been told he must stop taunting them or face jail.

Keith Quartermain, 61, of Austin Place, Abingdon, was last week given a 28-week prison sentence, suspended for two years as Judge David Morton Jack told him that his taunting of Catherine and Norman Fillier by laughing and singing at them had been "pathetic" and "childish".

Quartermain was also made the subject of a five-year restraining order, a three-year supervision order and ordered to pay £400 court costs.

In July, Quartermain was found guilty of breaching a restraining order which banned him from making contact with his neighbours, the Filliers and David Quick and their families.

He had laughed at the Filliers on several occasions last summer while they were outside their home and sang "who's got the sack?" at Mrs Fillier.

The singing was related to a false allegation that she had been sacked from her job as a teacher.

Three years ago, Quartermain had been made the subject of the original three-year restraining order after setting up a 'laughing machine' and making abusive signs which he put up in his garden.

He had rigged the laughing device to speakers so that every time the Quicks or the Filliers went into their gardens they were met with a barrage of mechanical laughter.

Peter Coombe, defending, handed the judge references from other neighbours, who said they got on well with Quartermain.

Mr Coombe said: "This is a man prone to bouts of depression, who has had a serious thyroid problem since 1994, had a stroke in 1998, has high blood pressure and has suffered from kidney stones."

He said Quartermain was considering moving to Devon.

Judge David Morton Jack told Quartermain: "This is the last chance saloon and you are very lucky to have escaped prison by the skin of your teeth.

"Your excuses have been childish. To try to persuade the court you were saying 'who's got the sock?' to your dog when you were clearly saying 'who's got the sack?' to Mrs Fillier is just pathetic in a man your age.

"Eight times in 12 years you have been before the courts. Even you can't suppose that there was no good reason for that."

Previously Quartermain had been bound over to keep the peace, put on probation, ordered to pay compensation, been made the subject of a restraining order and had possessions confiscated.

Judge Morton Jack said: "You richly deserve to go to prison."