A wife-from-hell who was slapped with an ASBO after keeping her neighbours awake for three years by NAGGING her HUSBAND has escaped jail for breaching the order.
Noisy Julie Griffiths, 43, was hauled before JPs for shouting, swearing and slamming doors as she repeatedly berated long-suffering husband Norman, 63.
She was finally handed a five-year ASBO in December last year for constantly disturbing residents near her home in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs.
Magistrates heard Griffiths was noisiest when she returned home at the end of her night shifts working at a factory where she nagged her husband for hours on end.
And this week she was brought back before North Staffordshire Justice Centre after fed-up neighbours reported more excessive noise coming from her £75,000 mid-terraced house.
Griffiths, who claimed she had not understood the conditions of the ASBO, pleaded guilty to breaching the order between April 18 and August 27 this year.
Despite previously being fined £750 and warned she faced up to five years in jail if she breached the order Griffiths escaped a prison sentence on Thursday.
Magistrates instead imposed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered her to pay just £85 costs.
The court heard some of the latest incidents had been recorded on special noise equipment installed in residents’ homes by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.
Prosecutor Clair Moss told the court: “There have been a number of complaints about the defendant in her property.
“The majority relate to shouting and swearing in her house, also slamming doors, banging and such like.
“The incidents have become more frequent and generally take place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
“The incidents mostly take place in the daytime.”
Defending, Alan Dawson admitted Griffiths regularly argued with her husband but she had not intended to disturb her neighbours.
He said: “Clearly arguments take place and are overheard by neighbours.
“They are in the main during the day, with just one incident in the early evening.
“This is not related to drink, she works long shifts. She argues with her husband.
“I don’t think there is any intent to cause problems to neighbours.”
Speaking after the hearing, councillors from Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council branded Griffiths’ behaviour as “dreadful”.
Cllr John Williams, cabinet member for stronger neighbourhoods, said: “Ms Griffiths’s neighbours continue to suffer from her dreadful behaviour despite the Anti-Social Behaviour Order but we will do all we can to see that action is taken to stop it happening in future.”
Griffiths was first served with a noise abatement order in 1999 but was fined £500 when she breached it again in 2010.
Her behaviour persisted over the next two years and environmental health officers installed monitoring equipment in a neighbour’s home in July last year.
Incredibly, Griffiths then breached the noise abatement order a whopping 47 TIMES between July 4 and October 22, 2012.
And JPs finally imposed the five-year ASBO in December after she pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the requirements of a noise abatement notice.
* The five-year ASBO bans Griffiths from:
Engaging in behaviour which causes, or is likely to cause, a nuisance, disturbance, harassment or alarm to her neighbours;
Creating noise audible to neighbouring properties;
Shouting, screaming or banging on internal doors;
Contacting or communicating with certain neighbours.
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