HEDGE FRACAS DEATH 'FUELLED BY CANNABIS'

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.