A nightmare neighbor who terrorized the couple living above her through their Ring doorbell has been jailed for more than three years.
Drina Gray, 52, harassed victims Ben and Emma – who do not want to give their surnames – “morning, noon and night,” a judge said.
Ben, 32, bought his first flat in Wandsworth, southwest London, in 2022.
But when council tenant Gray moved into the flat below his the following April, his life changed.
After reporting her for kicking her dog – which he says he caught on CCTV cameras – Gray launched into a “relentless” campaign that made Ben and his partner Emma prisoners in their own home.
In the months that followed, Ben’s neighbor smashed two Ring doorbells in less than a year, issued regular chilling threats via cameras and took her dog to dirty their doorstep.
The product manager even lost his job at a startup company because of the lack of sleep he was getting due to Gray blasting loud music and hovering the communal hallway in the early hours of the morning.
Countless disturbing videos captured by Ben’s cameras show Gray shouting, swearing and threatening him.
After Gray was finally prosecuted for her campaign of hate and a judge ordered her into custody, she escaped from court and went on the run for weeks.
She claimed that Ben had been using her as “bait” to make his 31-year-old partner Emma, who also lives at the flat, jealous after a break-up.
But jailing her for 40 months, Judge Peter Lodder KC told her she had harassed the couple “morning, noon and night.”
“You made the lives of your neighbors hell,” he said. “You persistently harassed them morning, noon and night.
“Despite orders being obtained to seek to prevent you from behaving in the way you did, you continued in your campaign.
“It may well be that you were under the influence of alcohol, but that is not an excuse – it’s an aggravation.
“It’s no consolation at all to the people you were threatening with extreme violence.
“This was over a period of six months. You well knew what you were doing.”
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Judge Lodder jailed Gray for 40 months after she admitted charges of harassment intended to put in fear of violence, two charges of criminal damage relating to doorbell cameras she smashed and a public order offense of using threatening words and behavior towards Ben.
A further charge of failing to comply with a community protection notice was dealt with by way of a two-year conditional discharge at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court in June.
Ben, who claims he recorded “140” separate incidents of harassment over 18 months, has complained previously of the way Gray’s case was dealt with by the authorities, including by the Metropolitan Police, Wandsworth Council and the court services.
He claims that when Gray once threatened to “shoot” him and his partner Emma, who works in marketing, police took “13 hours” to respond.
Court cases involving Gray were adjourned multiple times before she was finally sentenced for her offending.
Prosecutor Dylan Bub, outlining the facts of the case, told the court: “The victim and defendant are neighbors – they live in the same block.
“The defendant moved into the bottom flat in April 2023.
“Since the defendant moved into her property, she engaged in a campaign of harassment against [Ben].”
Bub explained that though the first year passed without incident, Ben installed cameras at his property after Gray stole two parcels from outside his door.
In May 2024, he said Gray broke the first of two Ring doorbell cameras – which cost $137 each – by punching it “repeatedly.”
Bub told the court that after Ben reported Gray’s harassment to police, she continued to make threats – including once threatening to burn his house down.
He continued: “[Gray said]: ‘It’s not me you have to worry about, it’s Chris… We need a nice fire, don’t we?’.”
Gray was issued a community protection notice later in the summer, which the court heard she broke that same day.
Once arrested and charged, Gray’s case dragged through the courts, being adjourned multiple times for a variety of reasons.
On one occasion, Gray absconded from court after the case was adjourned, prompting a desperate police search and a warrant for her arrest.
But after she was eventually caught and brought before a crown court judge, the prosecutor said “no evidence” had been provided by police, and the charge was dropped.
Ben told Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court that Gray’s abusive campaign had left him feeling “embarrassed, humiliated, numb” and even “suicidal”.
In his witness statement, written last December, he said: “To put it simply, this situation has completely taken over my life.
“What should have been a happy and exciting time for me – owning and living in my first home – has turned into a living nightmare.
“I don’t feel safe in my own home anymore and live in a state of numbness caused by anxiety and depression.
“Instead of being a place where I can relax and unwind, it’s a place where I’m constantly on edge, waiting for the next abusive episode from Miss Gray.
“Every day I feel trapped, knowing she’s right below me, ready to scream abuse at me, make threats and continuously taunt me and my partner.
“Her threats towards me are terrifying. She regularly shouts that people are waiting to ‘break my legs’ or ‘cut my throat’.
“These outbursts come out of nowhere, completely unprovoked, and leave me shaken and scared.
“There have been multiple times when I have called the police due to the threats to kill and have not left my property through fear.
“I can’t remember the last time I felt at ease. Many days I’ve just felt hopeless and numb.
“I have become very withdrawn and stopped doing the things I used to enjoy because I’ve lost the energy and motivation.
“My family has noticed a huge change in my personality. The situation has even impacted my relationship with my partner.
“In the summer of 2024, things became so unbearable that I’d avoid coming home altogether and stay with friends.
“At night, I now have to wear earplugs and turn on a fan just to try and drown out the noise of shouting, swearing and non-stop abuse.
“The constant stress has also taken a toll on my physical health. I’ve been sleep-deprived because of Miss Gray’s shouting and abusive behavior, which eventually ended up in me losing my job.
“Thankfully, I’ve managed to find a new job with understanding employers, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m still dealing with this nightmare every day.
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“The stress and lack of sleep leave me physically drained all the time. I feel embarrassed and stuck.
“I feel like I have no way out, which has led to suicidal thoughts before I was taking my medication.
“This situation has left me feeling broken – mentally, physically and emotionally.
“I feel like my life has been on pause for 18 months because of Miss Gray’s actions.
“I’ve lost my peace of mind, my health, my job, and even the ability to enjoy my home.
“I just want to feel safe and normal again.”
After reading the same impact statement at a magistrates’ court appearance earlier this month, Ben added that he and his partner had been “failed” by every authority.
“I have lost complete faith in all of the public services that are there to protect us,” he said.
“This case has been adjourned five times. Every time you adjourn for four or five weeks, it’s just a number for you… But for me and my partner, it’s thinking about it night after night.
“The police, the courts… Everyone has failed us.”
Gray read a personal letter to the judge out in court, in which she apologized for her actions but also claimed Ben had used her as “bait” to make his partner ‘jealous’.
Her defence advocate, Tammy Sher, also told the court several car accidents had driven her to alcohol, and that she too has suffered from suicidal thoughts.
But Judge Lodder said she “deserved” her sentence, telling her: “You were given many a warning. You chose to ignore these warnings and breach the notices that were served upon you.
“I am aware of the consequences of your behavior: [the victims] were frightened in their own homes, incapable of relaxing.
“You induced in them panic attacks and sleep deprivation.
“[Ben] lost his job, but fortunately obtained another.
“I can wholly understand why he says he became suicidal in his thinking and desperate, because you ignored council and court orders.
“It’s significant that [Ben] said, ‘I just want to feel safe and normal again’.
“His partner has had similar experiences. [She has had] to witness the affect on her partner.
“You have 18 convictions for 40 offences. Your offending has been aggravated by alcohol.
“In my view, you deserve a sentence of 40 months’ imprisonment.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service said: “Drina Gray conducted herself appallingly, and we extend our sympathies to her victim, who endured an unrelenting campaign of harassment.
“The defendant admitted to numerous offences – including harassment and criminal damage – following a Met investigation. She awaits sentencing for these.
“Adjournments in case hearings are at the discretion of the courts. A charge of escaping from court on Wednesday, 26 March, was initially brought against Gray by the Met.
“However, this was later discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service.”
Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, a WBC Cabinet member for housing, said he accepted the authority could have acted faster following Ben’s serious complaints about his neighbor.
“Wandsworth Council takes crime and anti-social behavior (ASB) very seriously, and we work with partners to both support residents and to take the appropriate action against those responsible,” he said.
“This is a complex case where housing officers have been working closely with a number of different agencies, including the Police, to resolve the matter.
“An ASB Case Review was completed and recommendations were made, with the community safety team engaging with the affected neighbors.
“Following the recent criminal hearing, the Council have obtained an injunction to prevent this individual returning to the property and we are continuing to seek possession of this property.
“We accept that we could have acted more swiftly, and following this case changes are being made to our ASB case management system to ensure the appropriate actions are taken more promptly and that complainants are kept updated.
“Council officers have met with the individuals affected to discuss what further support could be provided.”
