Update from the Councillors
Dear Residents
I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for sending us your witness statements and for participating in yesterday's meeting with Councillors Ryan Hack and Erica Gbajumo. Your unified support and personal stories were instrumental in bringing attention to the serious abuse and problems that we are facing as a community. This proved to be of significant value in advancing our case with the council.
During the meeting, Councillors Ryan Hack and Erica Gbajumo listened to the accounts of residents and local businesses, which were alarming and distressing. As a result, they have began investigating Mr. Williams' legal housing situation and mental health issues and have started advocating for his immediate removal from the area.
Councillors Ryan Hack and Erica Gbajumo acted promptly and have initiated the process of addressing the issue on behalf of our community. I have included the emails they sent out today at the end of this message.
If you have signed the petition and would like to lend further support, or would like to remain informed on the progress, I kindly request that you send your email address to sidmouth.community@gmail.com
with the subject "ADD ME TO CASE EMAILS".
Your support will help demonstrate the urgency and severity of this issue to the council.
This will also allow us to add you to the email list, and keep you informed directly from the councillors. If you have any additional requests or alternative solutions that could aid our cause, please do not hesitate to share them with us.
Please be aware of the fact that the anonymity of the electronic petition is preserved and we can only view the names (but not the email addresses) of those signatures that were explicitly approved for public display. I would like to assure you that the email addresses submitted to sidmouth.community@gmail.com will be kept confidential and will only be communicated to the Council members and myself.
Alternatively, you may also send direct emails to the Council members at the following email addresses: Cllr.Ryan.Hack@brent.gov.uk or Cllr.Erica.Gbajumo@brent.gov.uk.
The following is a summary of a few of the most concerning cases shared at yesterday's meeting:
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Mr. Williams assaulted and mugged an elderly woman on Chambers Lane a few years ago for her medication. He was arrested and charged for the crime, but continued to terrorise the tenants during his six-month house arrest.
Mr. Williams has been selling drugs to underage school children, including those from the Queens Park Community School. This was reported by many residents who have all witnessed this on many occasions in our area.
Mr. Williams has been seen performing nudity in the park in front of underage school children from the Queens Park Community School.
Mr. Williams has a history of harassing, abusing, and spitting on women on Sidmouth Road and around the Willesden Green area, targeting the vulnerable and weak. He has also been seen abusing disabled men and animals.
Mr. Williams attempted to break down the door of a woman while in a state of rage under the influence of drugs and alcohol last week at 9am in the morning. This was a frightening event that could have resulted in serious harm or death had he been successful.
Mr. Williams has a network of undesirable associates, including drug addicts, drug dealers, prostitutes, and hard criminals, who intimidate and harm our community. They steel, damage property and terrorise the local businesses and residents and these individuals are also responsible for human waste found in and around buildings on Sidmouth Parade which has been witnessed by many residents sadly.
The aforementioned cases are a mere representation of the more severe instances brought to our attention during the meeting. It is distressing to acknowledge the extent of abuse inflicted upon the residents by Mr. Williams and his associates. The fear and trauma experienced by numerous individuals in our community is heart-wrenching. It is imperative that we demonstrate to the council the seriousness and extent of the problem, and we implore your support in doing so by providing us with your email address and witness statements if possible. This will help reinforce to the council the pressing nature of the situation and its impact on the entire community.
Please remember to send your email address to sidmouth.community@gmail.com to remain updated on all developments. We have established a WhatsApp group chat as well, in case you wish to be included, kindly send your mobile phone number too.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I remain hopeful that with your continued support, we can work together to address these pressing issues and create a safer and more harmonious community for all.
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EMAIL FROM: Councillor Ryan Hack
I am thankful to you for taking time to speak with both Cllr Erica and I yesterday to speak about how anti-social and criminal behaviour perpetuated by Anthony Williams has been affecting your business and day-to-day activities.
As one of your local councillors, I have sent in an urgent request to Network Homes and Brent Council for them to enforce their eviction notice of Anthony Williams. I fundamentally believe that Mr. Anthony Williams presents a serious risk to residents and have requested for his eviction notice to be upheld, and for it to be enforced as a matter of urgency.
I have additionally requested for Network Homes and Brent Council to identify how additional resources can be applied to this case to ensure that Mr. Williams is provided access to long term services to treat his dependency on alcohol and drugs. It is important to note that we want to resolve this case in a holistic manner to prevent a decline to the health and well-being of all parties involved.
I have forwarded the bulk of my email to you to shed light on my detailed request for Mr. Williams eviction notice to be enforced.
Lastly, I was completely horrified to hear first-hand from residents and businesses about the extent of Mr. Williams' criminal activity in the locality.
Cllr Erica and I look forward to working with you as residents to resolve this serious issue.
Brent Council typically takes 7 working days to get back to our requests. While we await an update from the Council, I have sent an additional request of his eviction to Network Homes and will be working closely with residents to explore further avenues of how we can find a prompt resolution to this case.
Please do not hesitate to contact either Cllr.Ryan.Hack@brent.gov.uk or Cllr.Erica.Gbajumo@brent.gov.uk at any time.
We will be in touch.
Cllr Ryan Hack
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From: Hack, Councillor Ryan
Sent: Sunday, February 5, 2023 6:27:10 PM
To: customerservice@networkhomes.org.uk <customerservice@networkhomes.org.uk>
Subject: Urgent Request to Enforce Eviction
Dear Network Homes and Justin Kyem,
URGENT REQUEST: ENFORCE EVICTION NOTICE OF ANTHONY WILLIAMS AT 2A Sidmouth Parade
(NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THE VICTIM)
Sasha is a single female tenant who lives on her own. Her contact details can be found below, and she can be reached on the following number at (hidden for privacy). I would like to request for Council Officers and Network Homes to immediately get in touch with Sasha to see what additional support and advice that both entities can provide her, especially as she is the victim of a tirade of violent and verbal abuse heralded by Mr. Anthony Williams.
I have been in close contact with Sasha and attended a resident meeting yesterday. At this meeting, residents emotionally described the notorious nature of Anthony Williams and how he has been terrorising local businesses and residents with his capricious and violent behaviour. I have seen first-hand how Anthony Williams provokes residents and businesses either by shoplifting or through his violent behaviour.
Mr. Williams lives at 2A Sidmouth Parade and has been served an eviction notice. He is a council tenant living in the property. I would like to request the urgent eviction of Mr. Williams, especially as he has been served with an eviction notice for his anti-social and criminal behaviour.
Ultimately, I would like us to ensure that he is evicted from the property if an eviction notice has been served to prevent him from causing harm to Sasha and other residents living in his block.
He is permitting illegal entry of people misusing drugs and alcohol in his block. He is committing anti-social and criminal behaviour as he has allowed drug-dealers to gain access into the block of flats where he presently resides. Drug-dealers and addicts have been sleeping in the communal area of the block as well as urinating on the stairs. Both Cllr Erica and I went inside the block of flats where he resides and could immediately smell a stench of urine as well as witness how tissue paper was discarded all over the floor. The walls were also dirty and were smothered with food waste and faeces.
Therefore, this demonstrates that Mr. Williams is breaching his tenancy agreement and should be reprimanded for his callous actions.
Dreadfully, Mr. Williams has allowed criminal activity to take place in his apartment and has allowed drug-dealers to loiter in his flat and communal areas of the block. The situation has become increasingly alarming, and I fear for the safety of residents and local businesses in the locality.
Recently, Mr. Williams attempted to forcibly enter Sasha's residence by breaking down her door. She had to call the police and as they arrived late to the scene, and he was issued with a formal warning. Despite this, his act of aggression and violence has had an enormous impact on her health and well-being, as he had the potential to result in serious harm or death of Sasha if he had gained entry to her flat.
Due to the persistent aggressive and confrontational behaviour demonstrated by Mr. Williams, Sasha has had to take the precautionary step of leaving the premises. As her local councillor, I find this woefully unacceptable as she should not have to live in fear of domestic and verbal violence.
As the local councillor, I fundamentally believe that Mr. Anthony Williams presents a serious risk to residents, and I would like to request for his eviction notice to be upheld, and for it to be enforced as a matter of urgency. I would also like Network Homes and Brent Council to identify how additional resources can be applied to this case to ensure that Mr. Williams is provided access to long term services to treat his dependency on alcohol and drugs.
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The following is a summary of a few of the most concerning cases shared at today's meeting:
(The following summary of reports have been supported by nearly 59 local residents.)
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Mr. Williams assaulted and mugged an elderly woman on Chambers Lane a few years ago. He was arrested and charged for the crime but continued to terrorise the tenants during his six-month house arrest.
Mr. Williams has been selling drugs to underage school children, including those from the Queens Park Community School. This was reported by many residents who have all witnessed this on many occasions in our area.
Mr. Williams has been seen performing nudity in the park in front of underage school children from the Queens Park Community School.
Mr. Williams has a history of harassing, abusing, and spitting on women on Sidmouth Road, targeting the vulnerable and weak. He has also been seen abusing disabled men and animals.
Mr. Williams attempted to break down the door of a woman while in a state of rage under the influence of drugs and alcohol last week at 9am in the morning. This was a frightening event that could have resulted in serious harm or death had he been successful.
From reports provided by local businesses, Mr. Williams has attracted a network of groups into the community, including drug addicts, drug dealers, prostitutes, and hard criminals, who intimidate and harm the community. They steal and terrorise the local businesses and residents and these individuals are also responsible for human waste found in and around buildings on Sidmouth Parade which has been witnessed by many residents sadly.
The above reports were substianated by 14 local residents and all five local businesses on Sidmouth Parade.
As the local councillors, we were deeply concerned by the emotional accounts that were provided by his direct neighbours and local businesses who emotively described how his criminal and anti-social behaviour was impacting their lives and businesses.
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Finally, I would like to request that Anthony Williams is provided additional support to help resolve his addiction to alcohol and drugs. I am concerned for his safety and well-being, primarily as he has been described as unpredictable and unstable by local businesses and residents in his locality. I have been informed that if he does not consume alcohol or drugs on a perpetual basis, he becomes both aggressive and paranoid.
Therefore, can I request that the Council and Network Homes looks at long-term support for Anthony Williams and that we identify agencies and local health stakeholders that can provide Anthony with mental health services or rehab that would provide him with support to alleviate his dependency on drugs and alcohol.
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I would like to request an urgent response to this matter, especially as there is a persistent threat to the safety of local businesses and residents in the community by Anthony Williams.
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Kind regards,
Cllr Ryan Hack