Magistrates have been told they "may never know the truth" behind a dispute between two neighbours which resulted in one receiving a police harassment warning for her abusive behaviour.

Teresa Margaret Thoroughgood-Ekins, 66, of Trelissick Fields, Hayle Foundry, Hayle, who pleaded guilty at Truro Magistrates Court to harassing Paula Batchelor and her son Ben, and to using threatening behaviour with intent to cause Georgina Argyris harassment, alarm or distress, on dates in December, and between December and March.

Alison May, for the CPS, said Ms Batchelor lived next door to the Thoroughgood-Ekins, in a terraced house, and said there had been a number of incidents for about two years when Thoroughgood-Ekins had verbally abused her and her son and thrown things into her garden. She was constantly getting drunk and being abusive and threatening, often through an open window of her house.

The police had been involved, when Ms Batchelor told them she had had enough of Thoroughgood-Ekins behaviour although she had remained calm and did not retaliate in any way.

The defendant had shouted: "All them cats and dogs in the house, it must stink in there," and asked her "have you ever had a hammer in your head?"

On a day in December, when Ms Batchelor had a dog groomer at her house, Thoroughgood-Ekins was shouting to both of them.

On another occasion when an ambulance was at the victims’ house, the defendant was generally abusive.

When police officers saw the defendant she always apologised for her behaviour.

Ms Batchelor had told the police her life was miserable because of what was going on.

Thoroughgood-Ekins had previous convictions involving drink.

Mr Gallagher said the Batchelor household ran an open house and used an outside area where they sat until all hours of the night, talking, playing music and generally making a noise; and building works there also had caused difficulties for his client. They had three cars and regularly parked in his client’s parking spot.

It was a build up of all these things which upset his client who accepted that on occasions when she had a particularly bad night from their noise, she would have a glass of wine and could lose her temper.

“She is reacting to the noise from her neighbours, and the neighbours say she is causing the problems. You may never know the truth of what’s going on….She accepts that whatever happens next door doesn’t justify her abuse and she apologises for it,” he told the magistrates.

Since her arrest, things had been fairly quiet next door and hopefully they would not bother each other in future.

Ms May told the magistrates there was no evidence to support what Thoroughgood-Ekins said about her neighbours. She said police had made inquiries from other people nearby and the Batchelors were described as good neighbours, and Thoroughgood-Ekins had been the person causing a disturbance in the area.

Chairman Roger Cargeeg said it was a very sad thing when neighbours living so close could not get on. “We have heard from both sides of the argument and clearly there is animosity between you all”, he said.

Thoroughgood-Ekins was fined £180 with £105 costs and charges, and given a restraining order for two years, prohibiting her from having any direct contact with the Paula and Ben Batchelor or going to their house.