Neighbours disrespecting my rights to property – Horne

Jean Horne thought that her retirement years would be her happiest; however, she says she is now facing some of the worst days of her life.

The 56-year-old Fairbaine Pasture resident spoke with SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday from her home and, while fighting back tears, said that after struggling to build her house, she cannot now relax in peace.{{more}}

The woman stated that new residents in the area, who refuse to acknowledge the rules governing the usage of her land, are the major cause of her problems.

According to Horne, in 1982, one of her uncles (now deceased) got permission from her mother and father to cut a road through the land to give him access to his piece of land, which was located above hers.

Since then, several other houses have been built on lands above Horne’s land and while most persons use the road behind ‘Mama’s Corner’, the road through her land is a shorter route.

“Since 1982 the road cut there; no confusion, it there all the time.”

Horne explained that when her uncle was alive, he would use his truck to block the entrance, following which a galvanized gate was installed. After her uncle left the country, Horne said her mother replaced the galvanized gate with an iron gate.

The upset woman disclosed that she once allowed a neighbour access through her land after he was trying to secure a loan to build a house, as the bank was unwilling to lend money to construct a property for which there was no access.

“Me used to allow them, because me not bad-minded. Anybody knows me…me nah bad-minded, me ah allow them to go up,” Horne said.

The middle-aged woman, however, said that after 34 years of peace, the persons who now live in her deceased uncle’s house have been causing problems with regard to access to the road.

Horne noted that she had recently spent $350 to repair the broken gate.

“Before me fix the gate a member who live up there, I called her and say listen to me alyuh does use the road and I don’t like it because too much of vehicle going up…I going fix the gate and anybody up here help me fix the gate, I go allow them to use the road,” Horne stated.

After repairing the damaged gate, Horne said she bought locks for the gate, since no help was provided to repair the broken gate.

“Me send go buy lock. I had must be four lock to put on the gate; somebody shoot off one of the lock.”

After the lock was broken, the middle-aged woman, who has vision problems and an amputated foot, sent her daughter to the Calliaqua Police Station to make a report and she was told to come back if it happened again.

Horne disclosed that since the report was made, the lock was removed several times.

She noted that one of the occupants of her deceased uncle’s house cursed her recently, asking how could one person want to control a whole road.

After a pleading from her cousin, Horne finally agreed to cut a key for her neighbours to use, only asking that they lock the gate on their way out.

Horne stated that the gate is constantly being left open and when SEARCHLIGHT visited the property on Wednesday, the gate was, in fact, open.

Horne told SEARCHLIGHT that the lock was again knocked off last Friday and she had decided to change it again.

Apart from the lack of respect for her property, Horne said the vibrations of trucks and heavy vehicles on the road have caused the foundation of her house to begin to crumble. The road is being damaged by heavy rainfall and Horne pointed out that the land below her house is beginning to slip.

“Me frighten; me sit down here some days ago and me hear crack, and me one been here and me hold on quick and get up and go in the house,” Horne said.

If nothing is done to remedy the problem, Horne said that she would be left with no choice but to block access to the road.

“Me going block the road; me going dig it up and put blocks across, so nobody could go up.”

Horne’s daughter told SEARCHLIGHT that she just wants the issue to be over with to give her and her mother some peace of mind.

“I does frighten because when I hear the sound…I saw the wall crack and I see, then when I look I see the wall coming away from the house,” she said.(CM)