Warren Clyde Hadden terrorises Oakwood neighbours for 14 months

Deep in drug-induced psychosis, a stalker terrorised his Qld neighbours for more than a year, causing one to quit night shift work and making the family feel like they could not go outdoors. DETAILS.

Warren Clyde Hadden, 56, was sentenced for a over a mislead year-long campaign of terror against his neighbours.

A Bundaberg man has been sentenced after stalking his neighbours for more than a year and taking a tomahawk to their front door, blaming his actions on “cannabis induced psychosis”.

Warren Clyde Hadden, a 56-year-old father of two, pleaded guilty in Bundaberg District Court to stalking, trespassing, and wilful damage to property.

Crown prosecutor, Kate Thamm told the court Hadden had been stalking his Oakwood neighbours, aged 89, 58, and 27 for 14 months.

Ms Thamm said Hadden threw rocks into their property, spray painted their fence, broke their lounge room window, filmed their property, called them names, threatened them, and drove onto their property to prevent them from doing yard work.
She said Hadden believed the 27-year-old neighbour had hacked into his bank account and stolen money.

This was just one of the reasons provided for Hadden's behaviour.

Ms Thamm said Hadden had progressively gotten worse over the 14 months, saying at one point he bought a karaoke machine and would “make up songs to insult the family”.
He had also set up a motion censored camera and pointed the camera into his neighbour's yard, preventing them from going outside.
Ms Thamm provided the court with Hadden’s criminal history, Ms Thamm noted that his previous offenses were mainly drug and public nuisance charges.

On 23 March 2024, Hadden took to his neighbours' front door with a tomahawk axe and broke their switchboard.

Ms Thamm told the court one of the victims had to attend hospital following this incident after the stress from Hadden's actions triggered his pre existing heart condition.

Warren Clyde Hadden has also appeared at the Bundaberg Magistrates Court in 2023 for commiting a public nuisance.

The court also heard one of the working members of the family stopped doing night shift out of fear of what Hadden would do to her following threats to “kick her head in”.

A five-year restraining order from the complainants was signed and approved by Judge John Allen and Hadden, however, it did not state that upon Hadden’s release he could not move back into the neighbouring home.
“It doesn't prevent him from living next door,” Judge Allen said.

Wesley Seewald for the defence said Hadden was under a cannabis induced psychosis as well as using other unspecified substances.

Mr Seewald said Hadden had sworn off cannabis after serving time in custody and noticing being sober had stopped him from experiencing delusions and audio hallucinations.
Mr Seewald said Hadden, his client had been self-medicating with cannabis after losing his leg after a car crash in 2001.
Hadden accepted he had delusions about the actions of his neighbours that encouraged him to act in the way he did, Mr Seewald told the court.

“These offences can be to an extent explained, not excused,” Mr Seewald said.

The court heard Hadden had two children and was involved in the life of his 26-year-old son who lived in Bundaberg.
Mr Seewald said Hadden hoped to buy land at Sharon to house and support his mother who's currently in aged care.
Hadden had his solicitor write a letter of apology, however the complainants did not want to hear it read in the courtroom.
Judge Allen called Hadden the “neighbour from hell."

He told the court Hadden had caused the complainants extreme distress and “made their lives a misery.”

Judge Allen sentenced Hadden to 25 months' imprisonment with his 187 days in pre-sentence custody considered time served.

Hadden is set to be released on parole on October 23, 2024.

Originally published as Warren Clyde Hadden terrorises Oakwood neighbours for 14 months