A 62-year-old carer has been convicted of criminal damage following a bizarre fence dispute with her neighbour last summer.
Lorraine Black, from Braintree in Essex, appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court where she admitted damaging bamboo fencing that was being erected on a boundary between the properties.
The court heard Black had sprayed water at a builder working on the fence and hurled abuse at him during the incident on August 20 last year.
She later used secateurs to cut down sections of the bamboo, leading to criminal charges being brought against her.
A 62-year-old carer has been convicted of criminal damage following a bizarre fence dispute
PA
According to prosecutor Marie Ellis, the builder had been putting up the bamboo on the adjoining fence when Black became “verbally abusive to him, shouting at him to stop and spraying water over the fence and trying to stop him from working.”
The builder contacted police – but officers did not attend the scene.
Ellis told the court: “She took it on herself to remove the fencing by pulling it down and cutting it with a pair of secateurs.”
Black claimed during the incident that the builder was damaging her own fence while carrying out the work for her neighbour.
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Black, of Colne Court, Braintree (pictured) was ordered to pay £250 compensation to her neighbour
The case was originally set to be resolved through a community resolution, with the neighbour agreeing to remove the bamboo fencing and compensate Black for the damage.
But the matter escalated to court after Black gave a “no comment” interview when questioned by police at Braintree station.
Defence solicitor Lucy Osborn explained: “Initially, the police agreed all parties should receive a community resolution – the neighbour would take down the bamboo fencing and pay Mrs Black for the damage done to her fencing.”
“As a result of Black not making admissions, police decided she should not receive a community resolution and here she is today in court, receiving a conviction,” she added.
The court heard Black had worked at the same care home for 24 years and had never appeared before a court previously.
Osborn told magistrates her client found the proceedings “quite stressful and upsetting” and acknowledged: “She accepts she approached the builder whilst putting up the fencing in the wrong way.”
The defence solicitor noted that Black had “worked very hard for many years so she can maintain her property and make it look nice” despite her low pay in the care sector.
Black, of Colne Court, Braintree, was ordered to pay £250 compensation to her neighbour and £85 in prosecution costs.
