A pensioner is facing the possibility of a prison sentence after allegedly turning on her lawnmower to disrupt her neighbours’ dinner party, bringing a long-running 15-year dispute back into the spotlight.
Zoi Hayes, 68, is accused of deliberately activating the lawnmower in what prosecutors say was an attempt to “frustrate and annoy” her neighbours during a social gathering at their home in Urchfont, Wiltshire.
The court heard the incident took place in July last year while Peter and Corinne Rotherham were hosting guests for the first time in several years. It is alleged that Hayes switched on the mower while the group was enjoying drinks and food outside.
According to the prosecution, the action formed part of a sustained pattern of behaviour in a long-standing neighbourhood conflict. Hayes had previously been subject to a restraining order, which barred her from contacting or harassing the couple following earlier incidents.
Those earlier disputes reportedly included claims of boundary interference, early-morning disturbances and damage to garden plants, which eventually led to legal action and court-imposed restrictions.
The court was also told that the restraining order had been in place after previous convictions, and that Hayes had breached court conditions in the past, resulting in a suspended sentence.
During proceedings, it was alleged that the lawnmower was used specifically to disturb the dinner party atmosphere, with guests reportedly asking her to turn it off, which she later did.
Prosecutors argued the act amounted to a deliberate breach of the order, while the defence pointed out that Hayes had since moved out of the property and emphasised the ongoing nature of the neighbour dispute.
Hayes has admitted harassment by breaching a restraining order at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court and is due to be sentenced next month, with the possibility of a custodial sentence still on the table.
