- Jul 12, 2003
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A man who claimed to be a reincarnated vampire was seen chasing bell-ringers through a churchyard, a jury was told yesterday.
Scott Bower, 26, hounded the ringers at St Mary the Virgin parish church, Eling, near Southampton, Hants, as part of a campaign against the vicar and his family.
Sheila Downs, 75, who lives opposite the church, told Southampton Crown Court she saw Bower making strange noises as the ringers left after a practice.
"I looked from my upstairs window and saw Bower and three other people follow the ringers. They were making noises and catcalls."
Bower, Ben Lewis, 25, and Natalie Gibson, 19, made life a misery for the Rev Christopher Rowberry, 45, his wife and two children, by posting obscene material on the church notice board, letting off fireworks, making late night nuisance calls and howling outside their home. They targeted him because of his Christianity.
Mr Rowberry's daughter, Hannah, 17, told the jury Bowers howled at her as she put out bags of rubbish. "It was quite dark and I could hear laughter coming from the graveyard," she said.
Bower, unemployed, Lewis, a hotel porter, and Gibson, 19, a student, deny religiously aggravated harassment
The hearing continues.
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/ma...10/14/ixhome.html/news/2003/10/14/nvamp14.xml
Scott Bower, 26, hounded the ringers at St Mary the Virgin parish church, Eling, near Southampton, Hants, as part of a campaign against the vicar and his family.
Sheila Downs, 75, who lives opposite the church, told Southampton Crown Court she saw Bower making strange noises as the ringers left after a practice.
"I looked from my upstairs window and saw Bower and three other people follow the ringers. They were making noises and catcalls."
Bower, Ben Lewis, 25, and Natalie Gibson, 19, made life a misery for the Rev Christopher Rowberry, 45, his wife and two children, by posting obscene material on the church notice board, letting off fireworks, making late night nuisance calls and howling outside their home. They targeted him because of his Christianity.
Mr Rowberry's daughter, Hannah, 17, told the jury Bowers howled at her as she put out bags of rubbish. "It was quite dark and I could hear laughter coming from the graveyard," she said.
Bower, unemployed, Lewis, a hotel porter, and Gibson, 19, a student, deny religiously aggravated harassment
The hearing continues.
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/ma...10/14/ixhome.html/news/2003/10/14/nvamp14.xml
