A couple whose neighbour terrorised them with petrol bombs and psychological warfare said they were driven to the brink of suicide after their ‘dream’ life became a living hell.
Richard Burton and Amanda Hutton moved from Surrey to Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 2018 in search of a slower pace of life, and for a year, they found it – spending their days rewilding the land and renovating the property.
But in 2019, their lives were disrupted by a seemingly amenable couple who bought 36 acres of land next door.
‘They took us out for a meal and they were very friendly,’ Mr Burton explained.
Shortly after, Mr Burton and Ms Hutton bought five acres of land from their new neighbours – Cassie and Francis Collins – for £25,000.
Mr Collins took the money but refused to give them access to the land and a lawsuit was filed to force completion, triggering the ex-paratrooper to start a barrage of terror against his neighbours.
‘We felt groomed in a way, it was all orchestrated,’ Mr Burton added. ‘It was as much as we could afford to give, at that point – we were debt-free with no mortgage, living the dream.’
Mr Collins sent the couple more than 50 malicious emails, threatening to set their home on fire, contacting Amanda’s ex-husband and even threatening their daughters.
Mr Collins (pictured) would stand at his neighbour’s fence in a balaclava shouting and regularly walk around with a cross bow
Richard Burton (pictured) and Amanda Hutton moved from Surrey to Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 2018 in search of a slower pace of life
Mr Collins sent the couple more than 50 malicious emails, they had an intense psychological impact on Ms Hutton (pictured) and drove her to the brink of suicide twice
The couple found bullet holes in the windows of a bus on their property – which they lived in while their home was being renovated (pictured)
In one email, he wrote: ‘You will lose everything you love and I will make you watch.’
Another said: ‘You’re about to have the worst week of you life, lol, I’m so excited. You’re facing bankruptcy, and worse. And you don’t even know why yet, lmao. Ya lost.’
In other emails, he threatened to ‘set’ Ms Hutton on fire, kill Mr Burton and even tried to encourage Ms Hutton to kill her partner.
The emails had an intense psychological impact on Ms Hutton and drove her to the brink of suicide twice – and following her second attempt, she was found hyperthermic after eight hours.
Mr Burton said: ‘Amanda lived in fear every day of a phone call that something would happen to one of our daughters.
‘He ruined our lives. We contemplated leaving but he made our property worthless, it was a warzone. We were trapped.
‘If your neighbours are at your fence every day shouting, shining torches into your bedroom during the night, we couldn’t have sold it without disclosing it to the estate agents – he made our house worthless.
‘They terrorised us pretty much the whole year – every minute of every day you wondered what was going to happen next.’
On September 11, 2021, Mr and Mrs Collins (pictured) were found dead in their home after killing themselves in a suicide pact
Mr Burton and Ms Hutton were terrorised by their neighbour, who threw a petrol bomb at their property (pictured)
The police provided the couple with resources to help protect them, including window locks, door stoppers, constant policing and helicopter patrols.
But Mr Collins would continuously make formal complaints against specific police officers, preventing them from entering the area and protecting Mr Burton and Ms Hutton.
In March 2020, he even threw a petrol bomb into their home.
Mr Burton said: ‘He would walk around with crossbows, he’d wear balaclavas, he’d stand at the fence just staring at Amanda – you couldn’t come out the shower without worrying he was filming us.
‘We had fire bombs, window shots through, death threats and police hadn’t caught him and the only way we thought we could stay safe was to buy his land.’
After a 12-hour mediation the neighbours came to an agreement – giving Mr Burton and Ms Hutton six months to buy the land.
They were forced to take a £9,000 emergency bridging loan, paid £29,000 in legal fees and took a mortgage on the land for £220,000 – all with the hope of protecting themselves.
‘We were forced to buy the land for our safety,’ Mr Burton said.
A bus on Mr Burton and Ms Hutton’s property (pictured) – the couple have remained in Pembrokeshire, rewilding the land
Mr Collins would continuously make formal complaints against specific police officers preventing them from entering the area and protecting Mr Burton and Ms Hutton
Mr Collins was eventually arrested and a restraining order was placed against him.
On September 11 2021, Mr and Mrs Collins were found dead in their home after killing themselves in a suicide pact.
The police called Mr Burton that day to inform him of the death.
He said: ‘There was disbelief. I had to phone back to check it wasn’t a hoax phone call and they confirmed it.
‘I felt relief and sadness – we both hit the floor crying.’
The couple have set up a fundraiser to help protect their rewilding project here and have also remained in Pembrokeshire, rewilding the land.
‘The land helped us through it we reclaimed it and we reclaimed our safety,’ Mr Burton said.
