Sally Beaney, 75, sprayed ant-killer into her terminally ill neighbour Matthew Perry’s eyes during an escalating dispute over parking on their shared driveway in Southampton. She reportedly told him that nobody would believe him because she was an elderly woman, while the court heard that her controlling and antagonistic behaviour had significantly disrupted his family’s life.

Perry suffered minor chemical burns, eye swelling and a mild corneal injury, requiring antibiotics and painkillers. Beaney admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and received a 12-month sentence suspended for two years, 100 hours of unpaid work and a restraining order; the court also heard she had filmed and shouted at the family and continued her behaviour after being charged.