Featured Image Credit: SWNS
Topics: UK News
Hannah Smith
A 75-year-old 'nightmare neighbour' will have to wear an electronic tag after her 'prolonged and violent' harassment of a Cornwall couple.
Barbera Minns has been handed down a curfew after a court found that she'd repeatedly breached a restraining order against Adele Richards and Gary Authers while subjecting them to a prolonged 'campaign of hate' that lasted several years.
In 2018, Minns was handed a 36-month suspended prison sentence for a string of incidents targeting the couple, including threatening them with a knife, throwing poo at them, and attempting to poison their cat.
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Yet, as the couple told the court, five years on from initially obtaining a restraining order, they continued to be 'verbally and physically attacked' by Minns, with her suspended sentence not activated despite her being found to have breached the order on at least three occasions.
In a victim impact statement following the latest hearing, Richards said, 'We feel extremely frustrated and anxious, we are constantly on edge because Minns is unpredictable. We live in fear as to what Minns may do next and what she has proved to be capable of because of previous incidents.'
As the campaign continued over the years, Richards and Authers were forced to install cameras to capture Minns' 'evil' behaviour, and even kept a diary of her actions against them to hand to police.
According to SWNS, other incidents included Authers catching Minns on CCTV slashing his car tyres with a knife, while Richards said she was unable to sit in her own garden as Minns would shout abuse at her and spray her with a hose.
'Since these incidents neither our friends or family feel comfortable visiting our home and they fear what Minns will do to us next,' Richards told the court last week. 'We just want this five-year nightmare to stop — it is intrusive, frightening and has a direct impact and unyielding effect upon our mental health.'
Minns has denied any wrongdoing, and previously told reporters, 'It is the biggest load of rubbish. I've been bullied. Anybody who knows me knows I'm nothing like that. I'm normally very gentle, kind and I've been totally obliterated.'
The court disagreed, sentencing Minns to wear an electronic monitoring tag for four months and ordering her to remain indoors between 5pm and 9am.
'It really has been hell. It’s been stressful, I’ve been pulling my hair out and have lost weight,' Richards said following the conviction. 'I just want it to be the end of it now and to have a peaceful life knowing us and our pets are safe.'
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