Man charged in noise dispute with Univ college finalists
A group of University College finalists resorted to police intervention when a neighbour attempted to barge their door down after complaints over loud music. The students living on Cowley Road, who do not wish to be named due to concerns for their safety, called the police as a dispute between neighbours turned violent. On the evening of Tuesday 31st May two of the students visited their neighbour, Valentino Bassi, asking him to turn his music down.
The Oxford Student understands Bassi then left a message under the students’ front door telling them he was going to ‘beat them up’ the next morning. At around 10am the next day Bassi came to the house and attempted to barge the door down. Two female students, who were the only people in the house at the time, called the police and Bassi was subsequently arrested.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police confirmed Bassi, 28, had been charged on Wednesday 1st June with criminal damage, as he had knocked a panel out on the front door of the house. Bassi pleaded guilty at the Oxford Magistrates’ Court and was forced to pay £50 compensation to the students involved. He returned to his home on Cowley Road the following morning. One of the students told this newspaper how the situation had deteriorated over the previous four weeks.
“He played music at top volume so the whole street could hear it,” she said. At the time all the members of the five bedroom house were preparing for their finals.
9th Jun 2005