An Elvis Presley fan agitated his neighbors by singing classic songs from the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
And he has now been charged with a $11,000 fine.
45-year-old Dean Holland regularly live-streamed his performance to the fans of rock music in the United States late in the night or early in the morning from his apartment.
His neighbors, evidently not the fans of rock music, complained his activity to the authorities and he was issued a noise abatement order by the Environmental Health Authority that told him to lower his voice in respect of other peoples’ comfort.
Watch to find out more about this incident in the video below.
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Video credit: Rumble
Dean clearly didn’t comply with the orders of the authorities which led to a magistrate issuing a warrant for officers to enter his home. The officers captured a couple of TVs, speakers, a jukebox and DJ equipment.
Even that didn’t suffice to hold Dean and his partner Katie Mooney, 33, back from disobeying the law and breaching direct orders of the court.
Dean, who wanders all around the UK to perform at Birthday and Marriage functions, said that the only reason he is on the wrong side of the law is that his neighbors are not Elvis Presley fans.
Dean said: “I believe this has more to do with just noise, the neighbors have not liked us from day one. I’m in a very difficult position here because this is my job.”
The father-of-one performs for the elderly in nursing homes, other than his commercial gigs. On nights, he performs online across the world and his ‘shows’ can last till 3 am at weekends.
The neighbors, who complained about him, live just adjacent to his house, and they are from Asia.
Dean added: “I just don’t think they like Elvis. I have never had complaints anywhere else. I always say to my neighbors that if what I’m doing causes a problem then come round and talk to me.
“But they have never been to see me, they’ve never let me know they had a problem with what I do. The first I knew about it was when I got a phone call from the Environmental Health team. The next thing, they’re turning up a month or so later and taking all my things.
“I have been told I cannot get any of my equipment back, which is a great upset as there are two hard drives there with a lifetime of music stored on them. There are also photographs of my late father, who was the one who raised me on Elvis’ music, stored on there. I have lost so much.”
Dean admitted the fact that sometimes he sings in the very early hours because he has to perform online for his fans in America.
He said: “Unfortunately we are in different time zones so when I perform for an international audience it can be antisocial hours.
“I perform as guest singers on Facebook Elvis fan pages, so I will set myself up in the kitchen and put on an hour-long concert. I don’t get paid for this. I do this to bring the fans together, to reach out to those who are lonely or can’t get out of the house.”
Dean, who often performs to raise funds for charitable operations, started his Elvis tribute career more than a decade ago when he was asked to sing for his wife’s 30th birthday. After that, a friend asked him to perform a gig and he made a career singing Elvis’ song.
He said: “I love all Elvis’ hits – I couldn’t pick a favorite. All the classics like jailhouse rock, love me tender and blue suede shoes but now feel I am being persecuted for working late nights, I am now scared to make noise when I come home from work in the early hours.”
Dean could not be at the proceedings of the court when he was fined the hefty sum for singing because Katie had to undergo eye surgery for removing cataracts.
He added: “I am going to appeal this decision because I rang the court to tell them I couldn’t make it but they went ahead without us.”
Bradford Magistrate’s Court found the defendants, Dean and Katie, guilty for five counts of breaching the noise abatement order.
The couple were individually fined a sum of $900 for each offense and were also ordered to compensate the victims.
The total financial penalty handed to the defendants is a little close to $11,300.
Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Neighborhoods and Community Safety, Councilor Abdul Jabar said: “Anti-social behavior will not be tolerated anywhere in the Bradford district and we all deserve to live in an environment where we act reasonably and responsibly towards each other and the local community.”
The neighbors of the accused refused to comment on any of the court’s proceedings.
However, another neighbor, Noreen Akhtar, said of Dean: “Dean is a lovely, lovely man. He has been nothing but kind and friendly towards me.
“He’s always checking that he’s not too loud and I have never had a problem. It is such a shame because it is his livelihood. This must be awful for him.”
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