We are being dragged through the courts by an unstable but clever person . Seriously we have never done anything wrong to her . Have been trying to ride the stress for many years . not insured for neighbour disputes adds to the horror . Time to try and fight back . She has a camera pointing into our back garden and balcony . What is the best thing to do ? Her pass time is robbing expats . We are elderly disabled easy targets .
If the camera is pointed onto your property personally I would go and lay complaint at the gendarmerie. It is illegal here to film outside your property boundary.
If that strikes you as too big a step write a letter asking her to remove the camera immediately or you will lay a complain with the police and with the service des plaintes de la Commission nationale de lâinformatique et des libertĂŠs (CNIL).
This is a âmise en demureâ letter and you can find model examples on the web, and you send it recorded post. At the same time you can depose a âmain courantâ at the gendarmarie, which they do nothing with but is a marker is they then complain about you.
Your privacy is sacrosanct, so complain!
5 Likes
Welcome Syd
Sorry but could you expand on this as I donât immediately see the relevance to your situation
Thank you for the clear and concise advice .
Registrar your complaint to the rozzers if you are sure that the camera is picking you up in your garden. Then moon her. If she complains to the fuzz you will have the proof that her camera is invading your privacy.
4 Likes
Perhaps, a large sign with words painted to face the camera
ma voisine est une salope!
Same schedule
3 Likes
Good plan . Then I can make use of the âpersonalâ waxing kit that I bought thinking it was for the sideboard âŚ
3 Likes
So⌠whatâs the story about court?
Would I use the camera for target practice with my catapault? now I am beginning to understand where a can of spray paint might come in handy, Ă la the odd speed trap you used to see in the UK.
Your strike me as a slippery individual.
Yes the gendarmes will also make a visit to check it out. If you get no further, contact a Huissier and do a constat with them to advise her that legal action will be taken and call her bluff. Failing all else, you can get a free rdv with a specialist lawyer and take their advice. You could also have a word with other neighbours or even the mairie to see if she is well known for causing trouble.
Not me Shiba!
Spray paint was my thought too, via one of those very high powered water pistols, but then thoight you would have to be very accurate or she would be complaining about you.
We have such a woman in our village.
When she caused me problems I spoke to the Mayor and he went to the Gendarmes, but they said it was too late.
She is married to an ex traffic gendarme.
I was then told that I was now one of them, the club in the village who she had caused trouble for.
1 Like
Unfortunately bad neighbours are almost impossible to change. I speak from personal experience, not in France but Madeira where I lived for twenty-three years. I was physically assaulted by my neighbour in front of many witnesses. I went to the police who were not interested in a foreigner potentially damaging their tourist trade. I was told that my assailant was not a bad man. He had already served three prison terms for theft and assault. He has since been inside for dealing in drugs. He is a taxi driver, who on being released from prison was given his taxi licence back. The stories were legion of how he ripped off tourists. I put my home up for sale and moved. Strangely enough it was my English neighbour who wound this guy up to make me and my wife his target.
It is the most horrible experience.
I live in France now (two years). i have lovely neighbours. I think they like me. No one crosses the street to avoid me, nor I any of them.
But bad neighbours never change. Sorry not to be able to offer any better advice other than sell up and move. Retaliation will only make matters worse. Go to the appropriate authorities and complain but donât start spraying paint. Youâll be done for criminal damage.
3 Likes
I hope I have struck lucky on this new lotissement, I seem to be the oldest person around here and have met some of the parents of the youngsters who live around me and got on well. I decided long before moving in I wasnât going to be a nasty neighbour whatever the others might do or say and hopefully its working because being too nice can also get peopleâs backs up. My neighbour has 8 cameras on his property, we share a parcel of 700m² between us and I have the extra 100m² but luckily they all point away from me and downwards and I think its possible because of his job in pharmaceuticals that it maybe why he has them, perhaps samples of drugs in the house etc. I also feel a bit protected by them because they cover my driveway and could be useful at no expense to me. The OP is possibly the victim of a mentally ill person with paranoia but they shouldnât let her ruin their lives by her spitefullness. There are good and bad evrywhere, you donât get to choose.
2 Likes
Check that your insurance policy does not cover this kind of situation. She is doubtless using hers to fund the actions; I have come across this kind of thing before.
What exactly is she claiming?
I would also say that from personal experience of going right throught the french legal system with two TGI judgements carried out, a tribunal will not accept a case unless there is a founded cause and argument, they examine each case and if there is nothing to be gained by either side it is usually dismissed before a court date is even given, done in chambers etc by the ruling judge,but the costs still have to be paid. Even going to the local tribunal for small cases is done upon the argument and whether it is a real case or not, they donât have time for wasters plus it can also take years to get anywhere so just ignore the silly woman.
That is the best advice. ignore it.
That said, I would (being very childish) run around the garden naked at night singing Waterloo by Abba.
But that is just me.
Or dressed as a red indian doing red indian type noises.
That will freak them out on their camera.
On the subject of being spied on - I heard what sounded like a large propeller aircraft going over and rushed into the garden of the gite. It was in fact a helicopter flying so low I could clearly see a woman taking photos as it banked around. I told my wife the security forces were onto her. I wondered if they offered aerial photos to home owners.