Pakenham man Emmanuel Tzanoudakis back in custody after terrorising neighbour
A man’s long-term terror campaign — which included threats to kill a man next door and burn down his house — ended with a short jail stint. But prison time failed to stop the neighbourly rage, and this time he came armed with a baseball bat.
South East
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A neighbour from hell is back behind bars after again terrorising a man who lives next door – this time hitting him with a baseball bat.
Emmanuel Tzanoudakis has already been jailed once for a series of threats against his Pakenham neighbour in a feud dating back almost a decade.
Tzanoudakis said he would burn his neighbour’s house down, labelled him a rapist and a murderer, and breached a personal safety intervention notice more than 20 times.
But that did not deter the 50-year-old from confronting the innocent man, verbally abusing him, busting his possessions and on one occasion going onto his property armed with a baseball bat.
Tzanoudakis pleaded guilty to another series of court order breaches, assault and criminal damage charges at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The court heard Tzanoudakis walked onto the man’s property and asked for $5000 in cash about 3pm on September 22.
He was repeatedly told to leave, but as the neighbour filmed the altercation on his mobile phone, Tzanoudakis produced a baseball bat and began swinging it.
He connected with the man’s hand, causing two small cuts, and broke his phone cover before walking back to his own home.
Police attended and as he was on bail at the time Tzanoudakis was arrested and remanded in custody.
In December 2019, Tzanoudakis drew a chalk heart on the road referring to the neighbour, and in March he smashed a fence extension.
He also used a bank card belonging to his neighbour’s partner to buy a blender from a Pakenham electronics store.
Several other times Tzanoudakis shouted at and abused the man as he walked down the street, went to his car or chatted to mates on a nature strip.
Last year Tzanoudakis was sentenced to time served of 46 days for similar offending against the same neighbour.
He had persistently abused the neighbour with vile taunts and sent threatening text messages in a vendetta stretching back eight years.
In March last year Tzanoudakis went into the man’s backyard and began screaming that he was “a rapist”, “a murderer” and “a piece of s**t”.
He has previously made threats to kill and rape the man and burn down his house.
Tzanoudakis’ defence lawyer said her client had mental health issues and was at times delusional, a condition exacerbated by his ice use.
She said Tzanoudakis may also have an acquired brain injury, had a persecution problem and required rehab for his drug use.
Magistrate Andrew Halse said Tzanoudakis lacked any insight into his crimes.
“He swung a baseball bat at a neighbour,” Mr Halse said.
“But his fundamental problem is he does not take much notice of any order.
“He does not express any remorse for his offending.”
Tzanoudakis, who has already spent 41 days on remand, was sent for a community corrections order assessment and will remain in custody until he is sentenced on November 9.
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