Author and wife turned plush estate into ‘a war zone’, court told

An author launched a campaign of fear against his neighbours and wrote a book telling a similar story, a court was told.

David Aston, 55, and wife Jacqueline, 58, are claimed to have terrorised their next door neighbours by repeatedly filming and photographing them and making malicious reports to the police.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that Mr and Mrs Aston recorded their neighbours movements 248 times – including 67 in just one day – during an alleged three-year campaign of fear between September 2018 and October 2021.

The pair are also said to have spread rumours that one set of residents had abused their children and were dealing drugs from their home at a plush estate in North Berwick, East Lothian.

Residents told a trial they were left stunned after discovering Mr Aston had written a novel where a stroke victim called Dave develops superpowers and seeks revenge on his neighbours.

Mr Aston, a former chartered accountant, penned A Stroke of Fortune after he suffered serious injuries including brain trauma and a massive stroke following a road crash 10 years ago.

Mr and Mrs Aston are standing trial accused of engaging in a course of conduct that caused three sets of neighbours fear and alarm at their home in North Berwick.

Marie Bain told the court living next door to the Astons was “a living hell” and was like living “in a war zone” due to their behaviour towards her and her family.

Mrs Bain, 66, said she found out her next-door neighbours had made the 248 mobile phone video and audio recordings during a civil court process brought about by the Astons.

The pensioner said the Astons took her and her husband Robert to court after making “vexatious” complaints to the local authority about her dogs barking excessively.

She said the recordings were made available to her as part of the evidence and told the court she was left “horrified” when she realised the extent of the surveillance.

Mrs Bain told the court the Astons had made 67 video recordings of her family on one day while she and her family were celebrating a family birthday in her back garden.

Giving evidence on Friday, she described how Mrs Aston, a qualified nurse, had allegedly breached bail conditions on three occasions by following and approaching her after a court had warned her not to.

Neighbour arrested

The court was also told that Mrs Bain had been arrested herself after her neighbours claimed she had called Mr Aston “a spastic creep” during one confrontation but the charges were eventually dropped.

The pensioner had also initially denied calling Mrs Aston “a big lesbian” during another fiery encounter though phone footage shown to the court proved she had.

She told the trial she had “no recollection” of making the slur but after seeing the video she said she was “shocked” and “must have said it out of frustration”.

The court was told the civil case concerning the dogs was won by the Bains and the couple were advised by the police and council officials to keep a diary of all the harassment incidents they claim the Astons were waging against them.

Previously, the trial heard from neighbour Catriona Henderson, 45, who said her and her partner had also been targeted by the Astons since they moved into the estate.

Ms Henderson told the court she was left “scared and worried” after discovering Mr Aston had written a book featuring a character who develops superpowers and seeks revenge on nearby residents.

The high-school teacher also told the court Mrs Aston had made malicious reports to the General Teaching Council for Scotland and the NSPCC claiming she had been abusing her children.

She also said her neighbours had reported her and her partner to Crimestoppers claiming they were dealing drugs from their £500,000 four-bedroom family home.

The trial continues later this month.