Last updated 12:31, Friday, 05 December 2008

A WOMAN branded a ‘neighbour from hell’ and slapped with an ASBO has appeared in court again.

JAIL THREAT: Sarah Louise Bamber

Sarah Louise Bamber, 29, of Egerton Court, Barrow, was warned she could be jailed after admitting breaching the order twice.

Bamber appeared from custody at Furness Magistrates’ Court after breaking a condition of bail on November 29.

The condition required her to follow a curfew at her home and present herself to police officers if they called.

Bamber is banned from using any equipment at a volume likely to cause harassment, annoyance or distress to others, and banned from being drunk in a public place and causing harassment, alarm or distress by actions or words to others for the next two years.

The order followed repeated complaints from neighbours when she lived in Warwick Street, Barrow.

Miss Lisa O’Loughlin, prosecuting, said Bamber had been given an ASBO after being found guilty on July 22 of assaulting neighbour Claire Fawcett.

Conditions included not being drunk in public or causing harassment, alarm or distress to other people by her words or actions.

Miss O’Loughlin said: “Approximately two days after, the words ‘ASBO’ and ‘Bovvered’ were written on the board below her (Bamber’s) window.”

She added that Miss Fawcett had later been harassed by seeing Bamber on the pavement outside her house looking in her window.

Miss Fawcett’s neighbour had also seen her and said it would have frightened her.

Later that evening, they were in their respective houses and heard shouting and screaming, including foul language, which they recognised as being from Bamber, as well as the sound of glass smashing.

Miss O’Loughlin added: “In relation to that, she said a male came round to her property and he was harassing her and she was trying to get him out of the property.”

Around 9pm on November 15, a neighbour heard shouting, screaming and foul language and looked outside to see Bamber shouting at a vehicle in the street. Miss O’Loughlin said a man had come round to her property and was harassing Bamber.

Witnesses confirmed he had been forced out of the house, Miss O’Loughlin added, and Bamber accepted she had gone out after him and shouted obscenities.

Mr Trystan Roberts, defending, said: “This is a defendant who has had her problems.”

Mr Roberts said she had been attending her appointments with the probation service and her behaviour and attitude had improved immensely.

Referring to the bail breach, Mr Roberts said Bamber had taken a sleeping tablet and hadn’t heard the officers.

Presiding magistrate Mrs Lesley Morgan adjourned the case until December 22 for a pre-sentence report and said: “We are looking at a high community penalty and are not ruling out custody.”

“...We are going to extend your conditional bail. You are aware of those conditions.

“You have already breached those conditions and if you do that again you will be brought before court and it wouldn’t look very good on your record.”

Her bail was continued with conditions that she reside and sleep at her home at Egerton Court, stay in between 9pm and 7am, present herself to police officers when they call and not contact the complainants or go within 250 metres of Warwick Street.