John McCluckie

John McCluckie, a 31-year-old man from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, was sentenced to 22 months in prison at St Albans Crown Court for a campaign of harassment against his neighbour that included threats of rape and arson.

The ordeal began on 8 July 2023, when the victim heard shouting and banging on her letterbox in their shared block of flats on Cuttys Lane. She detected a smell of petrol and, upon opening her door, saw McCluckie holding a white canister of lighter fluid at the height of her letterbox, as reported by Hertfordshire Constabulary and detailed in court proceedings.

• On 10 July 2023, McCluckie banged on her door for three to four minutes, shouting, "If you don’t open the door I am going to set fire to your flat."
• On 14 July 2023, while the victim was taking her dog for a walk, McCluckie confronted her in the lift, accusing her of trying to get him arrested. He stated, "I could rape you at any time if I wanted to," before pushing past her and pinching her bottom upon reaching the ground floor.
• The following day, 15 July 2023, he shouted outside her door and posted an apologetic note saying, "I am sorry for frightening you."
• He banged on her door on two further occasions, shouting incoherently, before his arrest by police on 20 July 2023.

Prosecutor John Upton outlined the terrifying 10-day period during which McCluckie inflicted real and violent threats on the woman. Defending barrister Douglas Page noted that McCluckie had received inpatient psychiatric treatment and had already spent eight months and 22 days in custody, equivalent to a 17-month sentence. Page highlighted McCluckie's concerns about homelessness upon release, stating, "He is concerned about his accommodation. If he is released from hospital he has nowhere to go. He does not want to be released onto the street."

Judge Nigel Lithman QC described the actions as inflicting "real and violent threats that must have terrified her," and imposed a restraining order banning McCluckie from contacting the victim directly or indirectly, or commenting about her on social media. The case was heard at St Albans Crown Court, with details emerging from the sentencing hearing reported by The Comet.