A neighbour from hell who was banned from a school for verbally abusing children has breached a court order after she punched her neighbour in the face. Janette Moffat was handed a criminal behaviour order in March after she abused other residents and children and made their lives a misery by filing multiple false reports to the police.
However, the indefinite criminal behaviour order (CBO) issued to her by Nottingham Magistrates’ Court appeared to have little impact on Moffat’s behaviour despite it forbidding her from entering certain areas of her hometown. The 67-year-old from Newark, Nottinghamshire found herself back in court again after she asked her neighbour: ''Do you like perving on old women?'' when he saw her standing in her dressing gown in her driveway.
She assaulted him later that day on April 22 after claiming he was stalking her and branded him to be a 'dirty man', the Mirror reports. The pensioner was also previously banned from entering a playground and a local school after she was verbally abusing youngsters.
The OAP, who lives with six cats, appeared in front of Nottingham Magistrates' Court on December 19 where she was found guilty of assault and breaching her CBO. She was given a four month prison sentence but ended up walking free from court after JP's agreed it had already been served in way of her eight month curfew.
Moffat was also ordered to pay £620 in costs and £250 in compensation and was told that if she failed to comply she would be jailed for any further offences. JPS were informed the pensioner breached the order by initiating contact with the man who had been walking his dog along John Gold Avenue in Newark.
He said Moffat had been banging on her fence and when he turned round to inspect what it was he saw her standing outside in her dressing gown. The victim said: “As I walked past her driveway she had clearly seen me come past and made one loud bang.
"I turned round and saw Miss Moffat at the fence in her dressing gown." Moffat admitted she was muttering under her breath and when the man asked her to repeat himself she said in a louder voice: "do you like perving on old women" which was ruled breaching her CBO.
When asked if she had shouted, Moffat claimed she may have raised her voice but it was not done deliberately. She said: “I’m a little deaf in one ear.
"Sometimes you have to shout when you’re deaf in one ear but I don’t admit I shouted.” Moffat was convicted of assaulting the same man later that evening.
The court heard he had overheard the end of an argument between Moffat and another neighbour at around midnight over their garden fences. The victim added: “I heard my neighbour say ‘is that a threat’ and Miss Moffat replied ‘yes’. I wanted to assure him I would back him up.”
When he went round to said neighbours home, Moffat and her son Mark were on the doorstep and began to turn him on but the victim had already started filming them. The footage which was played in court shows Moffat striking him as he backed away from her and accusing him of being a stalker and a 'dirty' man.
The victim was left 'uninjured but shocked' after Moffat hit him in the chest and punched his jaw. The defendant later claimed she was defending her son after the man pushed his arm away from him.
Local police revealed this was not the first time they had been forced to take some legal action to "ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents". David Lloyd, leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “Ms Moffat repeatedly harassed those living in her local area, with neighbours left feeling unsettled in their own home.
"We will not tolerate this unacceptable behaviour and this Criminal Behaviour Order shows the courts also recognise the need for action in this case. I hope this order allows those affected to feel more settled in our community, without fear of constant harassment.
"I also hope Ms Moffat moves forward from this and accepts the support she has previously been offered." The 67-year-old has also previously contacted her local newspaper with false claims that someone has tried to murder her and her six rescue cats and that people have been shooting at her fence with firearms.
Inspector Matt Ward, of Nottinghamshire Police, said previously: “It is always disappointing when a person’s detrimental behaviour can’t be effectively changed for the better through the work of my officers and our partners at Newark and Sherwood District Council. But I am pleased that through that joint work we have been able to evidence the need for a CBO to be issued to Ms Moffat."
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