u/shizandgiz

I (26F) moved into my house last year with my partner and our young son.
Last summer we hired a gardener to remove a huge row of overgrown bushes at the back of our garden. Before doing it, we checked the property boundaries and confirmed the bushes were on our side of the fence. They were completely overgrown and the roots were ruining our lawn, so we had them removed.
In November, my neighbour’s garage, which is behind where the bushes were, was broken into by a group of teenage boys. I heard the commotion and went straight over to make sure they were okay.
The next day my neighbour thanked me for checking on them. He mentioned he thought the burglars might have come through our garden now the bushes were gone, but he had no proof. That was the end of the conversation, and everything seemed fine.
Fast forward to May. My partner was getting home from work when our neighbour came over furious. He claimed the bushes we’d removed were actually his and said it was our fault his garage was broken into. He demanded we replace the bushes and put up a fence because his insurance apparently won’t let him keep his dirt bikes in the garage anymore.
My issue is:
We checked the boundaries and the bushes were on our land.
If he believed they were his, why didn’t he say anything when they were removed nearly a year earlier?
If they were his, he’d never maintained them anyway. They were completely wild.
I don’t believe bushes behind his garage would’ve stopped determined burglars.
We told him we can’t afford a new fence. I offered to split the cost 50/50 if he wanted one that badly, but he refused and insists it’s entirely our responsibility.
Since then he’s become really hostile. He glares at us whenever we see him. When new neighbours moved in opposite us, he immediately went over and I overheard him pointing at our house saying things about “the English lot across the road.” He also complained that we’re loud. My son is autistic, so he vocal stims and sometimes has meltdowns, which made those comments hurt even more.
Now for the petty bit…
Parking on our street is awful. My son also has mobility issues, so being able to park close to home is important.
Whenever I leave in my car, either my neighbour or his wife comes outside and moves one of their cars to block the space. They regularly park across two spaces, then move back when his wife gets home so she can park outside. Between them they have four cars and a van and somehow always manage to keep the spaces outside their house.
Meanwhile, I’m left parking on the next street and carrying my disabled son home.
Now I feel uncomfortable even leaving the house because of the dirty looks and the tension.
AITA for refusing to replace the bushes or pay for a fence, or is my neighbour just looking for someone to blame?