Hedge fracas death 'fuelled by cannabis'

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Cannabis fuelled a row over a privet hedge in which a man was shot dead by his neighbour, who was later found hanging in prison, an inquest was told yesterday.

Robert Dickenson, 52, was "drunk and drugged" when he gunned down George Wilson, 66, in the doorway of his neighbour's home in Lincoln last year. He hanged himself a week later after being charged with murder.

A jury at Lincoln Crown Court ruled yesterday that Mr Wilson had been unlawfully killed and Mr Dickenson had committed suicide, and added that neglect in prison had contributed to his death.

The jury heard that the two men, who lived in Webster Close, had been seen arguing over a tiny hedge which separated their gardens in the weeks prior to their deaths. Mr Wilson was said to be upset after he claimed Mr Dickenson had chopped down the two-and-a-half foot high row of shrubs to a few inches. On 13 June, they were seen arguing again. Neighbours said Mr Dickenson, 52, who was said to have smoked up to five cigarettes of home-grown cannabis a day and drank heavily, looked "drunk and drugged", and was ranting at Mr Wilson.

The court heard Mr Dickenson got a revolver from his home, and returned to shoot his neighbour four times.

The coroner, Roger Atkinson, told the jury: "I would want to stress ... that cannabis is not a harmless drug and this case demonstrates how devastating its effects can be." Detective Inspector Peter Bray of Lincolnshire Police said outside court: "It does nobody any good to use cannabis and can lead to these sorts of things."

The coroner also said a number of criticisms had been made about the prison where Mr Dickenson was being held. He said there was confusion about how frequently the prisoner should have been monitored, bearing in mind he had been diagnosed as at serious risk of a suicide attempt.