Justice Finally Arrives For “Neighbour From Hell”

Ralph Scala will soon have some new neighbours, and although Torontonians are known for their friendliness, you wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t roll out the welcome mats. 

The 37-year-old has been ordered out of the Dundas and Quebec Ave. area after being found guilty of harassing numerous innocent people over a span of years.  He gained such a reputation that he was widely regarded as the ultimate “neighbour from hell” after his activities drew the ire of residents, the attention of police and left those in nearby homes living in terror.

He admitted to 49 separate charges against him, including criminal harassment, threatening and mischief and was portrayed in court as a man with a violent temper and a need for revenge who used his pit bull to intimidate those around him.

On Friday Scala was sentenced to time served, which turned out to be 8-and-a-half months, plus three years probation. 

His victims made emotional impact statements Friday, and many still fear for their safety. 

Maria Bolotta is one of them.

“We could not go on a family vacation. We always had to leave somebody behind. The police were in constant surveillance of the area.  We were literally held hostage,” she told CityNews outside the courtroom.  “This is terrorism. And it’s terrorism at a local level and within the home and it can’t be tolerated.”

The conditions of his release include  not being allowed to own a dog, and moving out of the neighbourhood.  He must also pay restitution for property damage. 

Bolotta, however, doesn’t believe he can change.

“This is a way of life for some people and maybe it’s a way of life for him,” she said.  “I’m not convinced he is not going to come after us with a vengeance.”

During his trial witnesses gave chilling testimony about their close encounters with the man. Among the incidents:

Several neighbours who angered the former food delivery man had their cars keyed and their tires slashed – one of the victims was a former friend.

When the angry man became abusive and was asked to leave a local donut store, he came back and threw rocks through the window, threatening to shut the owner’s business down.

He hired a local punk to put a rock through an 86-year-old woman’s Quebec Ave. home using a slingshot and later flooded her yard with a hose. 

After his pit bull got into a fight with a neighbour and the owner tried to pull the dog away, Scala physically attacked the man in front of his wife and 3-year-old toddler, returning to stand under the youngster’s bedroom window to brag of what he’d done.

And he was fired from his job at a local restaurant for threatening two co-workers and inflicting his rage on their cars. He smashed the outlet’s windows on three separate occasions and left a rag soaked with an accelerant in the front door.

Things got so bad that 119 residents actually signed a petition pleading with police to do something about him.

In the end, he was finally charged and admitted to his sins in court.

His lawyer, Gordon Goldman, thinks his time behind bars has rehabilitated him.

“He is a changed guy after 8-and-a-half months in the Don (Jail).  I can’t see him re-offending.  If he only had done a couple of days and then made bail….but he has had it with jail.”

But this case is far from over. Scala’s father, Felice, is facing charges of his own, with police contending he helped his son in the ongoing harassment. The 62-year-old had previously been accused of several similar offences and on Friday, cops added two more charges to the list. He’s still awaiting trial.