Elderly rock musician, 69, hauled into court after making

• Raymond Keam, 69, was caught on CCTV last July at his home in Cheshire 
• Next-door neighbour Joy Lomax saw the footage and took it as a ‘threat’
• Warrington magistrates court cleared Keam of the two charges against him

An elderly rock musician who was hauled before court after he pretended to shoot himself in the head whilst dancing with his wife has been cleared of wrongdoing.

Raymond Keam, 69, claimed he was copying guitar legend Jeff Beck during one of his stage routines when he put his fingers to his head and simulated a trigger motion after messing up his dance moves in front of his wife Joy, 70 at their home in Runcorn, Cheshire.

But the guitar player and teacher was reported to police shortly after, as next-door neighbour Joy Lomax who had installed CCTV cameras saw the footage of the gag and took it as a ‘threat.’

At Warrington magistrates court, Keam admitted carrying out the stunt but was cleared of two charges of threatening behaviour after insisting he had no intention of alarming anyone. He faced up to six months in jail if convicted.

Raymond Keam, 69, was hauled before court after he pretended to shoot himself in the head whilst dancing with his wife. He has been cleared of wrongdoing

Keam claimed he was copying guitar legend Jeff Beck during one of his stage routines when he put his fingers to his head and simulated a trigger motion

Keam, far left with his band in the 1970s, admitted carrying out the stunt but was cleared of two charges of threatening behaviour after insisting he had no intention of alarming anyone

Next-door neighbour Joy Lomax who had installed CCTV cameras saw the footage of the gag and took it as a ‘threat’

Mrs Lomax who runs a dog training club also claimed Keam, of Runcorn, Cheshire, had looked at her ‘aggressively’ in a separate incident as she sat in her car with a friend.

READ MORE: Neighbours at war over fence after woman reports family to POLICE for cutting back her tree after branches grew into their garden 

When quizzed Keam said he had been doing ‘ bad dancing’ with his wife and was copying Hi-Ho Silver Lining star Beck when the late guitarist jokingly pretended to shoot himself in the head when he played a wrong note during an appearance on the Later with Jools Holland TV show.

The court heard the pair who have lived next door to each other for 21 years had initially been friends – with the Keams even being invited to the wedding of Mrs Lomax’s daughter. But relations soured in 2012 when Keam infuriated Mrs Lomax by pruning the branches of a tree which encroached on his back garden.

The court heard police were alerted at the time but no action was taken – however in 2020 officers were contacted again following further incidents and the matter was resolved by a face-to-face restorative justice procedure.

The incidents took place between June and July last year with the first showing Mrs Keam dancing in the field at 9.40pm before being joined by her husband.

The couple laugh and then Keam starts to walk in a dancing motion towards the rear of Mrs Lomax’s property. He appears to looks up at her CCTV camera and using his fingers, pretends to shoot himself in the head and then the feet.

When quizzed Keam said he had been doing ‘ bad dancing’ with his wife and was copying Hi-Ho Silver Lining star Beck when the late guitarist jokingly pretended to shoot himself in the head when he played a wrong note during an appearance on the Later with Jools Holland TV show

The court heard the pair who have lived next door to each other for 21 years had initially been friends – with the Keams even being invited to the wedding of Mrs Lomax’s daughter

Ms Lomax said she installed CCTV cameras on the advice of police and when asked how the footage made her feel she said, ‘Horrendous. I just want this whole thing to stop, just stop, leave me alone. Get on with your life, leave me alone.

Keam said the couple were initially trying to re-enact a dance scene from the Sky Max TV show Brassic but he ‘goofed’ his steps due to a medical condition Peripheral Neuropathy which affects the nerves in his leg

Mrs Lomax, who trains dogs on the paddock said her husband pointed out the footage to her later following the second incident which was also captured on CCTV.

She told the court: ‘There is no end. He tries to intimidate me. Whenever he takes the opportunity he will intimidate me.

‘When I was shown the video I saw that he was trying to intimidate me. I saw it as a threat. He knew he was on camera.’

She said she installed CCTV cameras on the advice of police and when asked how the footage made her feel she said, ‘Horrendous. I just want this whole thing to stop, just stop, leave me alone. Get on with your life, leave me alone.

‘No normal person would do that at somebody’s back gate on someone’s camera. It was a threat. It was the start of his behaviour again. I have seen the pattern of his behaviour time and time and time and time again.

‘All I ask is that he stays away when I am teaching. That is only for one and a half hours a day. All I asked was for Ray Keam to stay away from me.’

Keam said the couple were initially trying to re-enact a dance scene from the Sky Max TV show Brassic but he ‘goofed’ his steps due to a medical condition Peripheral Neuropathy which affects the nerves in his leg.

He referred to Vinnie and Erin, the show’s main characters played by Joe Gilgun and Michelle Keegan and said he turned to his wife telling her: ‘I will do him and you do her’.

Relations soured in 2012 when Keam infuriated Mrs Lomax (above)  by pruning the branches of a tree which encroached on his back garden. The court heard police were alerted at the time but no action was taken

Joy, Keam’s wife (above) said: ‘We mess about on the field quite a lot. At the time we had been watching Brassic and we were aping out the dance they did. We had been talking about Brassic and I was playing Erin. We were just dancing and larking about’

Ms Lomax said: ‘No normal person would do that at somebody’s back gate on someone’s camera. It was a threat. It was the start of his behaviour again. I have seen the pattern of his behaviour time and time and time and time again’

Keam added: ‘I was hoping that she would join in the Brassic thing that we do but my condition makes me walk like a penguin. It was not long before my balance was going and I danced to play to the cameras. We were just larking about. But I’ve messed up.

‘The cameras are constantly there, we are aware but we try not to notice. I am a musician and my hero is Jeff Beck. I’ve seen him mess up on a really serious piece of music and he did that. It is something I have adopted quite a lot. It is just sort of messing around. In the context of the dance I acknowledged that I messed my feet up.

‘In no way had I intended to cause harassment. My intention was to admit my mistake. I messed up. I’ve not gone to the camera and done that for no particular reason. I was just admitting to the cameras I messed up. I am also embarrassed about the way I walk. To be constantly videoed walking is embarrassing.’

Mrs Keam said: ‘We mess about on the field quite a lot. At the time we had been watching Brassic and we were aping out the dance they did. We had been talking about Brassic and I was playing Erin. We were just dancing and larking about. I think he was acknowledging that he messed his steps up.’

Earlier prosecutor Miss Christine Upton said: ‘Mr Keam says he was larking about with his wife, then makes the gun shot motion when he messes up. But why make eye contact with the camera? He knows that it is recording him, he knows that Mrs Lomax would see it. ‘

A young Raymond Keam. Defence lawyer Mr David Robb claimed Mrs Lomax was ‘fixated’ with his client

Raymond Keam in his youth. In clearing Keam, JP Katherine Whitaker said magistrates had ‘sympathies for Mrs Lomax’s position’ but the court could not be satisfied he had intended to cause her harassment

But defence lawyer Mr David Robb claimed Mrs Lomax was ‘fixated’ with his client and said: ‘Mr and Mrs Keam were walking back to their property at the back of their house.

‘They were laughing about a sketch on the TV programme. He said ‘I will do him and you will do her. ‘What the video shows is Ray Keam pretending to shoot himself in the head as he has messed up at having his dance. Then he pretends to shoots himself in his own foot.

‘He never pointed those fingers at the camera. Pointing at his own head was not a threat. If he wanted to intimidate, bearing in mind that he knows that he is being recorded, he would have pointed the gun at the camera. He exhibits a silly old man. He is acting out something that he is seen on TV, a program they like. And why not? They are entitled to like it.’

In clearing Keam, JP Katherine Whitaker said magistrates had ‘sympathies for Mrs Lomax’s position’ but the court could not be satisfied he had intended to cause her harassment, alarm or distress. They rejected calls for a restraining order to be imposed.

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