Neighbour from hell jailed for terrorising couple through their Ring doorbell

A nightmare neighbour who terrorised the couple living upstairs through their Ring doorbell has been jailed for more than three years.

Drina Gray, 52, harassed victims Ben and Emma, who did not want to give their surnames, ‘morning, noon and night’, Kingston Crown Cort heard.

Her ‘relentless’ campaign began months after she moved into the flat below them in Wandsworth, southwest London, in April 2023, leaving them feeling like prisoners in their own home.

Ben said Gray smashed two Ring doorbells in less than a year, issued regular chilling threats via the cameras and took her dog to soil their doorstep.

He claimed he even lost his job at a startup company because of the lack of sleep from Gray blasting loud music and hoovering the communal hallway in the early hours of the morning.

Countless disturbing videos captured by Ben’s cameras show Gray shouting, swearing and threatening him.

After she was finally prosecuted and a judge ordered her into custody, she fled from court and went on the run for weeks.

She has now admitted charges of harassment intended to put in fear of violence, two charges of criminal damage relating to doorbell cameras she smashed and a public order offence of using threatening words and behaviour towards Ben.

Judge Peter Lodder KC said she ‘deserves’ the 40-month sentence he imposed and told her: ‘You made their lives hell.

‘You persistently harassed them morning, noon and night.

‘Despite orders being obtained to seek to prevent you from behaving in the way you did, you continued in your campaign.

‘It may well be that you were under the influence of alcohol, but that is not an excuse – it’s an aggravation.

‘It’s no consolation at all to the people you were threatening with extreme violence.

‘This was over a period of six months. You well knew what you were doing.’

Prosecutor Dylan Bub, outlining the facts of the case, told the court: ‘The victim and defendant are neighbours – they live in the same block.

‘The defendant moved into the bottom flat in April 2023.

‘Since the defendant moved into her property, she engaged in a campaign of harassment against [Ben].’

Mr Bub explained that though the first year passed without incident, Ben installed cameras at his property after Gray stole two parcels from outside his door.

In May 2024, he said Gray broke the first of two Ring doorbell cameras – which cost £100 each – by punching it ‘repeatedly’.

Mr Bub told the court that after Ben reported Gray’s harassment to police, she continued to make threats – including once threatening to burn his house down.

Ben told the court that Gray’s abusive campaign had left him feeling ‘embarrassed and humiliated’.

In his witness statement, written last December, he said: ‘To put it simply, this situation has completely taken over my life.

‘What should have been a happy and exciting time for me – owning and living in my first home – has turned into a living nightmare.

‘At night, I now have to wear earplugs and turn on a fan just to try and drown out the noise of shouting, swearing and non-stop abuse.

‘I’ve lost my peace of mind, my health, my job, and even the ability to enjoy my home. I just want to feel safe and normal again.’

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