Nightmare Morley neighbour who hurled white powder over man released from prison, despite jail sentence
A woman who heaped misery on her neighbour has been handed a prison sentence - but will be released immediately because of time already served on remand.
Qualified accountant Jayne Cullingworth was given a 15-month jail sentence after she shouted abuse at the man living next-door and hurled white powder over him.
She was previously handed a restraining order by the courts, warning her not to speak with the man, but had breached it multiple times.
The 55-year-old continues to deny wrongdoing, but was found guilty of assault and breach of a restraining order after trial at Leeds Magistrates’ Court earlier this year.
She appeared at Leeds Crown Court this week via video link from HMP New Hall, but twice had to be muted for refusing to stay quiet.
The court was told that Cullingworth lived next door to the man and his family on Harwill Rise, Morley, but a bitter dispute over land had developed.
The man was subjected to harassment, the court heard, so the restraining order was put in place.
Cullingworth breached the order 11 times, and was later given a six-month suspended sentence. She was also convicted of criminal damage and threatening behaviour.
The mother-of-two was ordered to stay away from Harwill Rise, but returned when that order lapsed and continued the target her neighbour.
She would stand on her driveway when he returned home and stare at him.
On December 13 last year, he returned home and Cullingworth was outside. She started shouting before throwing the powder at him, hitting him in the back.
The incident was caught on CCTV, but Cullingworth continued to deny wrongdoing. She has six previous convictions for 19 offences.
She has been on remand since her arrest in December.
Mitigating, Eleanor Durdy said Cullingworth had lived in the area since 1991 and had no issues with other neighbours.
She said: “She has been, for the most part of her life, an upstanding member of the community.”
Judge Simon Batiste expressed his displeasure at the probation service’s recommendation for a custodial sentence with no other assistance, saying Cullingworth clearly had mental-health problems despite her denials.
He jailed her, but given that prisoners serve only half of their sentence in custody before being released on licence, he said she would be released almost immediately.
He warned her: “I request that you realise that you have mental-health issues and you seek help for them.
“If you don’t there’s a significant risk you will come back before the courts and go to prison again. I’m sure you do not want that to happen.”