£250 fine for a hard-of-hearing fan who played country music too loud

Michael O'Rourke, of Peterhead, was slapped with an antisocial behaviour order after neighbours complained about music blasting from his stereo.

But the 51-year-old ended up back in court a few weeks later for breaching the order.

O'Rourke told the sheriff that he found it difficult to listen to music because he was 70 per cent deaf.

And Sheriff Edward Savage said he was in danger of becoming the "oldest raver in town".

Sentence was deferred until yesterday, when he was fined 250.

After the hearing, neighbours at his old address said they were glad he court had taken their complaints seriously.

Gail Wedderburn, 53, said: "He played his music very loud, sometimes continuously for four or five days.

"It was awful for the neighbours.

"Something had to be done about it. It wasn't good for everyone having to listen to the noise night and day.

"He just didn't seem to take a telling."

Police were called to O'Rourke's old address in the High Street after his neighbours in the Aberdeenshire town complained last year.

He was later given a three-year Asbo court banning him from playing radios, TVs and other sound-producing devices at excessive volume.

But the Dolly Parton fan vowed to carry on listening to his records, despite the racket.

O'Rourke was also thrown out of a bingo hall for shouting "House" too loudly five years ago.

He claims it's unfair for him to be given into trouble because he is hard of hearing.

And he said he couldn't listen to his favourite tunes on an iPod or by using earphones because he was so deaf.

O'Rourke said after the case: "I've been buying vinyl since I was a young lad; my first LP only cost me 60p.

"My neighbours were just being vindictive. If you're joined on to another house you've got to expect a bit of noise."

He added: "I play my music every day. Who doesn't like music? I like country and western, Sixties music, Scottish music. I also like some of the up-to-date stuff.

"Why should I stop listening to my favourite music just because of a few vindictive folk? I'll never stop playing my vinyl."

O'Rourke previously admitted breaking the order between 15 and 16 June last year and on 3 January this year.

A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said: "The council and its partner agencies are committed to tackling antisocial behaviour within our communities and will explore various options in order to address problems reported to us.

"While many cases can be resolved via informal and/or voluntary measures, there are cases such as this, where the persistent nature of the antisocial behaviour means that statutory intervention, such as an Asbo, is required."

Mr O'Rourke joins a long list of Scots handed down Asbos for noisy behaviour.

Last year, Angela Johnstone, 35, who lives with her teenage son in a mid-terrace property in Edinburgh's Saughton area, was handed an Asbo after persistently playing "wall-shaking" rap music and allowed her home to be used by gangs of teenagers who drank, fought and vomited around her house.

She was served with a full Asbo banning her from playing excessively loud music within or around her flat.

Last December, Rowan O'Connell was given an Asbo and branded "a blight on the community" for playing loud music during the night at her home in Balerno.

She ignored a police warning, a fixed penalty notice and three written warnings from Edinburgh City Council.

It is not only loud music that leads to action by the courts, however.

Cockerels Rooster and Gobi were targeted by Aberdeenshire Council with a noise abatement notice, seeking the birds' removal, when neighbours complained their crowing was making their lives a misery.

The two birds were later rehomed elsewhere.