01 August 2023 , 18:22
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A woman made her pensioner neighbour's life "hell" as she did not like her watering her hanging baskets, a court heard.
Kim Porter-Wilson, 46, waged a nine-month campaign of harassment against Ann Breen after taking photos of her and sounding an alarm every time she watered her plants. The woman would also make gestures to Ann's CCTV camera that was outside her bungalow in the quiet suburb of Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk.
She first became angered by the pensioner's hanging baskets because she was worried the water would run towards her pathway. After constantly being photographed, Ann, 71, became so intimidated she would only water her plants at night - but Porter-Wilson would see her tending to her plants and continued to take photographs of her.
The plants on the driveway at the home of Ann Breen in Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk (East Anglia News Service)She would verbally abuse workmen and deliberately cause parking problems in a lay-by outside their homes, Norwich Magistrates' Court heard. Mark Jackson, mitigating, said: "The defence case here was accepting much of the conduct, but saying that it amounted to irritation and annoyance and does not cross into the threshold of harassment."
He also told the court Porter-Wilson suffered from a condition that meant her "social skills can sometimes not be as good as they could be". Mr Jackson also said that her "reaction sometimes to what her neighbours have done was unpleasant". He added: "As with all neighbour disputes there are always two sides to the story."
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Porter-Wilson has been ordered not to contact her neighborus (East Anglia News Service)Porter-Wilson has been due to face a two-day trial accused of harassment but she accepted a non-conviction restraining order instead. The 18-month order specifically states that she must not film Ann watering her plants and that she must not contact four neighbours, directly or indirectly.
Kim Porter-Wilson leaving Norwich Magistrates Court (Newsquest / SWNS)Mr Jackson argued the order was proportionate and that "there have been no issues since my client was charged, and that is going back nearly 10 months". Speaking after the hearing, Ann said she moved to Breydon Way with her husband Michael, 72, four years ago for a "quiet retirement".
Cameras at the property (East Anglia News Service)But she said that instead of having that, Porter-Wilson 'made her life hell' and made her home "more like a prison". Ann said: "We're old age pensioners. We came here to have a quiet retirement. We haven't got that yet. We have had over four years of it.
"We'll be sat here doing nothing and she will just start banging and moving the cars in the driveway. It's just made our lives hell. We're treading on eggshells all the time. She's made us feel very uncomfortable in our own home. There's not been a quiet moment. It's been more like a prison." Also speaking after the hearing, a neighbour who wished to be anoynmous, said she "needs to be kicked off the street" because she's "just been horrible" for four years.
The neighbour said: "We didn't get what we wanted. She needs to be kicked off the street. At the end of the day, the court wanted to give her 12-month restraining order and I said absolutely not. Hopefully, she can just leave us alone now. "For the past four years, we have had nothing but abuse. I've been afraid to even walk down the street. She's made me very upset and angry and I am not like this. She's just been horrible. It's been a nightmare."