Neighbours describe their ‘hell’ at living near to appalling woman

Spinney Road, Thorpe St Andrew. PIC: Peter Walsh (Image: Archant)

Anne Egglestone, 56, was jailed for two years at Norwich Crown Court this week after she breached a criminal behaviour order by contacting emergency services and sending abusive messages.

Norwich Crown Court heard she had deliberately pointed a security camera directly into neighbours' homes, making them feel they were under surveillance as well as sending offensive messages to Norwich charity Leeway

Egglestone, of Spinney Close, Thorpe St Andrew, was also in breach of a suspended sentence order and was told by Judge Stephen Holt that she was not "a very nice piece of work".

Today her long-suffering neighbours agreed with the judge's comments as they described the affect her behaviour had on them.

A 63-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, said: It's been hell. It's been very difficult.

"She's created such a lot of tension and anxiety. She was always verbally abusive.

"So much so that I didn't like being out in the garden because she would look over the fence and stand watching."

The neighbour said Egglestone had been living in the area for more than four years and while things were "all right" to start with, they quickly changed.

She said: "I think the first time that problems really flared up was when the family over the road had some building work done and she took exception to their lorries and the noise, which was not excessive by any means."

She added: "I'm relieved that she will be out of the way for 12 months but she will then return on licence and I'm afraid experience has led us to believe that history will repeat itself."

Ian Robinson, 53, a carpenter and joiner who lives near to Egglestone, said: "It's been a nightmare.

"People have seen her running up and down the road naked.

"It's been dreadful, really dreadful."

Mr Robinson did however admit that, strangely, Egglestone's behaviour had brought the rest of the community closer together.