Thurso residents sick of 'nightmare neighbour'

People living at and around Riverside Terrace in Thurso sent a clear message to a neighbour that they were sick of the antisocial behaviour he has brought to the area.

Johnny Glover (51), a self-confessed heroin user and problem drinker, is currently serving prison time and has an extensive criminal record that includes convictions for assault and robbery. He has resided at a number of addresses in Thurso over the years but is believed to be from Glasgow originally.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Mr Glover has recently been transferred from Porterfield Prison in Inverness to Glasgow's Barlinnie jail and is serving time for carrying a knuckleduster and other offences.

Heather Miller lives on Riverside Terrace next door to Mr Glover's empty flat but is in the process of moving out. "I've been here five years but he wasn't here when I first came," she said.

"It was a nice place until he moved in but since then we've had floods of alcoholics and drug addicts coming back and fore. I've totally fenced off my garden to keep his friends out. They're partying all night sometimes and I've had enough."

Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had been woken in the night by noises coming from Mr Glover's flat. "I've been woken up at five in the morning by him screaming and just shouting random things. I've had people coming to my door at half-one in the morning looking for him," she said.

The woman found Mr Glover "intimidating" and also feels like moving away because of him.

Mrs Miller explained that ill-health was one of the reasons she was moving but what really motivated her to leave was "having Johnny Glover next door".

"He plants drugs all over people's gardens and then goes searching for them in buckets and over fences. I know he had a big drug habit in the past and I think he probably still does."

She showed a special medication called Naloxone that reverses the effects of opiates that she alleges was given to her by Mr Glover's drugs worker. "She came over from Wick to drop this off for him and he wasn't in so she asked me to take it. It was to be used if he overdosed."

Mrs Miller said she had "felt sorry" for Mr Glover and had tried to support him over the years but felt everything "had been thrown back" in her face. She said that police often came to her door looking for him and that Mr Glover had told friends and associates she was his wife.

"He tried to change and became a born-again Christian for a while and even got baptised in the swimming pool. It didn't last long though and now there are all sorts of kids and people going to his place at all sorts of hours and it seems there's nothing that can be done."

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said Mr Glover's flat has been lying empty since he was jailed at the end of July but there were still people coming around looking for him.

He said: "There's a 91-year-old woman right next door to him and they're even banging on her windows at night as well. The police had to come down and comfort her in the morning as she was in tears and shaking. The council have spent thousands on doing up his place and he's ruined it."

The unnamed man thinks that Mr Glover's windows were smashed in by people forcing entry to "try and find drugs". He also showed several pictures and videos he had captured on his smartphone showing a figure seemingly lying unconscious in the back garden of Glover's flat and various "shady characters" going to his door very early in the morning. One video dated from October last year shows a man being detained by police outside the block of flats.

Another person who also wished to remain anonymous said she felt that "Johnny and his friends should all be put into the same area of the town and those who do not want anything to do with drugs be left alone".

"Every single one of the people in this block want him out," she said.

Thurso and north-west Caithness councillor Struan Mackie was well aware of the issues and found the case "deeply frustrating" for both himself and the residents affected.

"As a local councillor, I have been progressing this issue after being contacted by a number of concerned residents in the last number of months, who have cited drug dealing, vandalism and general antisocial behaviour at all hours of the day," he said.

"Having visited the terrace a number of times in the last month and spoken to the neighbours at length, it is clear that the actions of one individual and their associates are creating a living hell for those living in Riverside Terrace.

"On a personal level it is deeply frustrating that despite repeated antisocial behaviour, and indeed criminal activity, those causing the damage appear to have more rights than the individuals affected. There seems to be no consequences for their actions. And that is completely unfair."

Councillor Mackie fears that "unless this individual is moved permanently" the cycle of distress and criminal damage will continue.

"The tenants who have put up with so much will have no other choice but to up sticks and leave."

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