A pensioner has been fined £3,500 for continuing her relentless campaign of anti-social behaviour after she repeatedly ignored a court order not to harass, alarm or cause distress to her neighbours.
Kathleen Neal, 77, of Park Lane, Castle Donington, was made the subject of an injunction imposed by District Judge David Douce at Derby County Court in 2016. It came after a crusade of hate against her neighbours in June 2016, the hearing was told. The injunction was granted for a period of five years which the judge said "reflects the severity of the allegations".
The 77-year-old was found guilty of 14 alleged breaches of this order, resulting in a £250 fine for each breach, totalling £3,500. In his judgment, the judge found Neal to be "rude and aggressive" and his view was that she was "not a victim; she is a dishonest person and (the judge) did not believe her".
The district judge, when sentencing, said that in the public interest he could not bring himself to sentence her to a term of imprisonment due to her age and personal circumstances. He added that "if Mrs Neal finds herself before me again, public interest would demand a term of imprisonment. Age is not a bar, she should consider herself lucky today".
The proceedings were brought by North West Leicestershire District Council and were supported by Leicestershire Police.
Mrs Neal made national headlines last year when the court heard how she tormented her neighbours by harassing them, trespassing on their property, deliberately lighting smoky bonfires in her garden and spraying weed killer over the fence onto plants in their garden.
The catalogue of complaints included a campaign of silent phone calls made from an unregistered "pay as you go" mobile phone that had been ongoing for a number of years.
Despite repeated warnings from the police and the council, Neal continued with her campaign, leading to her 2016 court appearance and resulting injunction.
Councillor Trevor Pendleton, chairman of Safer North West Leicestershire Partnership, said: "We will not tolerate anti-social behaviour in the district and while court is a last resort, we will bring proceedings where necessary against offenders, regardless of their age.
"We were pleased when the court imposed the five-year injunction and we are also satisfied with the significant fine handed out after the breaches of this order.
"We hope Mrs Neal finally gets the message that her behaviour is completely unacceptable. We will continue to support the victims of this case by monitoring the situation."
The five-year injunction remains in place and should the anti-social behaviour continue then the council will look to issue further proceedings which would likely result, as indicated by the judge, in a custodial sentence.
