ASBO for woman who twice sent hearse to ex-partner's house
A WOMAN twice phoned for a hearse to collect a body from a former partner’s house in sick hoax calls, a court heard.
Nicola Thomas, aged 45, also made a string of false complaints to police, saying she had been attacked by other people on several occasions, Plymouth magistrates were told. She has even reported herself as missing.
- Nicola Thomas
Magistrates have banned her from making hoax calls for 10 years in a wide-ranging antisocial behaviour order. Dylan Sadler, applying for the order on behalf of Plymouth City Council, said she was a “prolific stalker and hoax caller”.
He added: “She called a hearse on two occasions to collect a body from the house. I do not think you can get any sicker.”
Mr Sadler said the former partner, who lives in Somerset, felt so intimidated by the harassment that she felt “imprisoned” in her own house.
Magistrates granted a seven-point order covering the next 10 years. Breaking any of its terms could land Thomas in prison. Thomas is banned from making any false complaints about any person to any public authority and from making hoax calls. She is also prohibited from calling 999 except for in a genuine emergency.
Mr Sadler said that as well as the harassment of the ex-partner, she had also made 18 complaints against her next-door neighbour. He added she had reported drug-dealing, antisocial behaviour and noise on the premises.
Mr Sadler said: “She is the archetypal neighbour from hell. If you live next door to her you can kiss goodbye to any quality of life. All the claims were unsubstantiated and false. She is someone who is quite willing to destroy the reputation, the peace, and the lives effectively of other people to satisfy some bitter desire within her.”
He added she had 17 aliases and had used three dates of births. Thomas told the court her real name was in fact Nicola Ryan.
Mr Sadler said she had made numerous complaints about named individuals including ex-partners, claiming that she had been assaulted or sent abusive text messages. She had also made a complaint a male intruder had raped her in her own home, the court heard.
Mr Sadler said she named a suspect and police had investigated for four months before deciding no crime had taken place. He added she then provided the police with little assistance in her allegations.
Mr Sadler said: “She makes it up as she goes along. All of this puts a strain on the resources of the emergency services, especially the police.”
Alex Travers, for Thomas, said she was vulnerable and suffered from anxiety and depression. She added that Thomas was in no fit state to challenge the council’s witnesses or to give evidence herself. Mrs Travers said she also had cirrhosis, needed real help from the health services and a carer regularly visited her home to provide help, but she was feeling more isolated in her own home. Mrs Travers questioned the evidence that she went out of her way to make people’s lives miserable.
She added: “When someone feels threatened or they are a victim of crime they are entitled to report it to police.”