A family was put through hell by an upstairs neighbour who stamped on the ceiling, verbally abused them and played Live And Let Die by Wings in the early hours, a court heard.

Keir Cracknell kept a diary cataloguing eight months of singing and loud music by Nicholas Formosa, Brighton magistrates were told.

The restaurant manager said Formosa, his upstairs neighbour in Tisbury Road, Hove, was like a "demented banshee".

Mr Cracknell's son, Akira, now three-and-a-half, called Formosa the Naughty Man because of his continual noise.

The Cracknells were often woken in the middle of the night by Formosa and friends jumping up and down and playing songs by Pink Floyd.

This caused Akira to cry and the family would have to sleep in their living room to escape the racket.

The court heard Formosa, 25, bore a grudge after the Cracknells, who moved into the basement flat three years ago, were given the garden at the rear of the block he thought should be partly his.

He would climb over the fence and cross the Cracknell's garden to enter his flat through the fire escape.

Formosa denies a charge of harassment between July 2001 and February 2002.

He accused Mr Cracknell, 43, of spying on him.

Formosa's counsel, Amy Packham, accused Mr Cracknell of being "utterly paranoid".

She said he set up a video camera to catch her client and also a mirror pointing at his balcony.

However, Mr Cracknell insisted these were only introduced because of the problems.

He said: "He has affected my quality of life. I can't relax in my own home.

"My wife feels unsafe because she does not know his stability. If I'm not at home, the doors are locked, the alarm is on and the camera is on. It's a shame we have to live like this."

Mr Cracknell, talking of Formosa playing the song Live And Let Die at 4.10am, said: "I'm a fan of Paul McCartney and Wings but it was not appreciated."

His Japanese wife Ritsuko, 33, told the hearing she felt uncomfortable being in the garden with their son because Formosa would stare at them.

Prosecutor Dominic Dudkowski said: "Mr and Mrs Cracknell described these incidents as making their house hell.

"They have tried everything they can to reason with the defendant but he has no interest."

The case was adjourned until June 2 when Formosa's defence will be heard.