Man used detergent to kill neighbour’s fish after pond noise drove him ‘completely insane’

Sam Corbishley | Senior News Reporter Published August 4, 2026 12:23pm Updated August 4, 2026 12:23pm Gerry Duffy leaving Willesden Magistrates Court where he admitted using motor oil and detergent to kill his neighbour’s Koi carp and destroy a water pump (Picture: PA) A pensioner used motor oil and detergent to kill his neighbour’s fish out of ‘sheer frustration and lack of sleep’ because of his noisy pond, a court has heard. Gerry Duffy, 76, was ‘driven completely insane’ by the sound of a water pump running his neighbour’s fishpond in Barnet, north London. He pleaded guilty on the day of his trial at Willesden Magistrates’ Court to damaging the pond, fish, water pump and pipes in March. The court heard he had warned his neighbour, Andreas Ptohides, that he would take matters into his ow