‘You wanna die?': Manly neighbour from hell subjects family to campaign of terror
Andrew Cambouris, 56, a well known local in the Northern Beaches suburb, had been living in the Bridge Housing accommodation on Pittwater Road for around 10 years when his behaviour began to spiral out of control at the start of May.
'Then he started playing music really loudly,' his neighbour, who did not want to be identified for fear of his safety, told news.com.au.
'The neighbourhood didn't take kindly [to that], somebody rang the police and he was spoken to regarding a noise complaint.'
It was then that Cambouris set off a weeks-long ordeal that left the man and his family fearing for their lives.
'He assumed because I lived directly across the road from him that we had called the police on him,' he said.
'My wife and son and I are exiting the property a couple of days later, he started shouting threats, 'I'm gonna get you, I'm gonna stab youse.' My wife came home that evening by herself, he started screaming he's going to stab her and kill her. I was not particularly happy about it but I still didn't want to get the police involved because basically I've got a nutter living across the road and I don't want to aggravate him.'
But things took a disturbing turn on May 16, as the man was outside his home with his son setting up CCTV cameras for safety.
'He went off screaming threats again,' he said. 'I decided to confront him, tell him, 'You've got the wrong people and if I had a problem with the music I would come and [talk to you].''
That's when Cambouris brandished what appeared to be a shotgun, in shocking mobile phone footage captured by the neighbour.
'Ah film me, f**k you, get f**ked,' he yells. 'You wanna die? I'll f**king kill you, f**kwit.'
The man took the video to police and gave a formal statement.
Cambouris was arrested and charged that day with weapons offences.
Under NSW law, replication or imitation firearms are treated similarly to real firearms and are illegal to possess without a permit, with the offence carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment.
Cambouris was released on bail several days later under a number of conditions, including mandatory breathalyser checks at his home by police and a ban on crossing the road towards the neighbour or his family members.
'We thought, OK, he's back, he's going to quieten down, he knows he's in trouble,' the man said.
But on May 25, Cambouris again began his unhinged ranting.
In mobile phone footage, Cambouris can be heard screaming anti-Semitic abuse at the top of his lungs.
'Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler!' he screams from his balcony. 'Kill all the f**king Jews, ya f**king c***s! Get f**ked!'
The neighbour, who is not Jewish, again alerted police that Cambouris appeared to be in breach of his bail conditions.
'The police go and knock but he refuses to come to the door, he's barricaded the door,' he said. 'They said, 'Look, there's not much we can do, he won't come to the door and we can't get access,' and then left. That spurred him on even more.'
That night Cambouris 'just started blaring from his loudspeakers from his balcony the Nuremberg rally in German, 'Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil''.
CCTV cameras captured extraordinary footage of Cambouris' unhinged behaviour over the following weeks.
Various clips show music being blared in the middle of the night, Cambouris ranting and raving at the top of his lungs about Nazis and methamphetamine, and screaming profanities while declaring 'I'm the f**king Antichrist!'.
'Do you know the Nazis almost won World War II?' Cambouris is heard bellowing into the street in one clip, adding that Hitler fed his army 'pure methamphetamine and they marched for days and days'.
'Methamphetamine is the answer! But you must use it and not abuse it, or it will kill you. Paranoia will destroy ya!'
According to the neighbour, the behaviour continued to escalate over the next few days.
'I once again contacted police because it was a safety issue,' he said. 'It's a busy bus stop.'
Despite Cambouris being 'clearly intoxicated' and 'screaming' from his balcony police declined to intervene, according to the neighbour.
The 'final straw' came on June 6, when Cambouris came across the street towards the man yelling 'I am the Antichrist!'.
That's when the man enlisted the help of colourful criminal barrister Peter Lavac, hoping to get police to finally act.
Mr Lavac attended Dee Why Police Station with the man on June 9 where he 'read the cops the riot act'.
A NSW Police spokesman confirmed that the neighbour attended Dee Why Police Station on Monday June 9 to report 'another man allegedly threatened him on Pittwater Road, Manly, at about 1pm on Friday June 6'.
'Following inquiries, about 6.30pm on the same day, police arrested a 56-year-old man,' he said.
'He was charged with breach of bail, and he was issued court attendance notice to appear at Manly Local Court on Wednesday June 11'.
The neighbour said in those two days 'I was scared for my wife coming home by myself, I would have to meet her'.
'My daughter was too terrified to come over,' he said. 'I had a cricket bat inside the door, we left [the house] as a family unit, we were genuinely in fear of our lives.'
Cambouris pleaded guilty to the weapons charge on June 11 and was remanded in custody.
He appeared in Manly Local Court again on July 9 where he pleaded guilty to a raft of additional offences including intimidating and assaulting police and suspected stolen goods in custody, court records show.
He will be sentenced on August 20.
Mr Lavac criticised what he perceived to be the inaction of the police.
He believed the police should have done more when the man refused entry into his house. 'They let this guy remain on liberty … and for police to shrug it off is a disgrace.'
The neighbour said he was fearful of what would happen after Cambouris' sentencing.
'The thing is he's going to get out again and Bridge Housing, they can only submit to NCAT [NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal] a request for him to be evicted,' he said. 'With these no-eviction laws it's going to be very difficult.'
Court listings show Bridge Housing, a community housing provider and charity on Sydney's Northern Beaches, is taking action against Cambouris in NCAT.
That case is listed for July 30.
'Bridge Housing is unable to provide specific details regarding individual tenancies,' a spokeswoman said in a statement.
'However, we can confirm that proceedings including NCAT action, are currently underway in response to ongoing breaches. We are committed to acting within our responsibilities under the Residential Tenancy Agreement to support both our tenants and the surrounding community and take reports of threatening or violent behaviour extremely seriously.'
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