Woman, 75, fined over harassment

A 75-year-old woman accused of eating her neighbours' koi carp during a campaign of harassment was today ordered to pay them £10,000 in damages.

Ellen Jones is alleged to have netted the fish from the garden of Mark and Jane Fowler and eaten them on her doorstep, making sure they could see.

The Fowlers, who live in a £450,000 farmhouse next to Ms Jones's cottage in Newchapel, Surrey, were seeking damages of £75,000, alleging that she had caused them "untold misery" by blocking their drive, setting old tyres alight, and allowing illegal raves on her 90-acre property.

Ms Jones, a land girl in the last war, denied their claims that she was a "neighbour from hell", but admitted at an earlier hearing at Lewes County Court that she had put obstacles in her yard to stop Mrs Fowler turning her car.

Today as Ms Jones sat just inches from her neighbours, Mr Recorder Morris-Coole ordered her to pay them £10,200 in damages but deducted £1,000 which he ruled the Fowlers owed Ms Jones for water charges.

Ms Jones was also ordered to pay two thirds of the Fowlers' estimated £30,000 legal bill.

Mr Morris-Coole served an injunction banning Ms Jones from entering the Fowlers' drive and from lighting bonfires at weekends during the summer.

Summing up following a 10-week hearing, he said he hoped "since so much of this pent-up difficulty has been put before the court and expressed before me, the parties just might see a way in the future whereby there is a more flexible attitude".

The Fowlers bought their property, dating back to the 13th century, from Ms Jones in 1983 and renovated it. At first they got on well with their neighbour, who owned the house next door and the surrounding 90-acre East Park Farm.

Before long Ms Jones's " determination to ignore the authorities" began to cause them distress. They claimed she allowed her farm to be used as a cannabis factory and infuriated them with regular bonfires.

They have since suffered a series of death threats and vandalism, culminating in an arson attack that nearly destroyed their home, as well as the loss of their koi. Ms Jones had brought them tea and biscuits as they renovated their home but Mrs Fowler said: "She has made our lives hell. We started married life here, this was meant to be our dream home."

Over the years their domestic live has suffered immeasurably. For Mr Fowler, 45, the most greatest loss has been the "thousands of hours" he and his wife have spent discussing Ms Jones rather than with their daughters, Samantha, 14, and Eleanor, nine.

The couple say they have been woken at 5am by barking dogs more times they can remember.

Mrs Fowler, 53, added: "We have wasted so much time and energy on it that we could have used with the children. It's all they have known, all their lives." The family told the court that Ms Jones, with farm worker Charlie Rashbrook, fried the valuable fish and ate them. Mr Fowler's said Mr Rashbrook told him: "Nice day for a fry-up."

Mr Fowler said: "The only other time he spoke to me like that was just after the lining of our pool had been slashed. He said he was surprised we were not swimming on such a hot day."

They installed video cameras but their tormentors simply wore hoods, on one occasion attacking Mrs Fowler's car while she was in it with her daughters, both under 10 at the time.

Then came the arson attack. A window was smashed, a hose pushed through and diesel pumped in. The fuel was set on fire and the house nearly burned down.

Mrs Fowler said: "There's an old superstition that says you should not remove a cat's skeleton if you find one in your attic. We found one and removed it. We weren't superstitious before but now we're not so sure."

'Nice day for a fry-up'