A woman from Barrow has been given a 16-week suspended prison sentence for 12 months after breaching a restraining order for the sixth time.

Amber Candy Flowers, 66, appeared at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court on November 13 after being accused of ‘shouting and causing noise’ on July 13, which she was prohibited from doing by a restraining order imposed by the court on November 2, 2018.

The Emlyn Street resident pleaded guilty to the charge.

Prosecution lawyer Lee Dacre set out the case by stating this order was originally set after the defendant was convicted for harassment of her neighbour Linda Burns.

“This was due to last until November 2 of this year,” he said. “One of the main aspects of this order was not to make any excess noise.

“On July 13 the complainant went into the kitchen where she could hear loud noises coming from the defendant’s address.

“Excess noise causes the complainant to feel anxious.”

Mr Dacre went on to highlight this would be the sixth breach of this order since it was made.

In response to this, defence counsel Karen Templeton started by highlighting two documents to the court from health providers which addressed her client’s multiple health issues.

“Miss Flowers has quite a few health issues,” she said.

The defendant has paranoid schizophrenia and is very hard of hearing, the court heard.

“She wants to apologise to the court and to her neighbour Linda. This crime would seem to be an ineffective way of upsetting someone, so it is clearly not done out of malice.

“The terrace house does have super thin walls and Miss Flowers is very hard of hearing.

“She has paranoid schizophrenia and sometimes she is not able to control her will.

“This was not done out of malice.

“She does not want to go to prison again and she does want to move to a new house.

“There are various agencies working with her to help her move.”

After retiring to decide, upon their return, the chair of the bench said: “We are going to impose a custodial sentence of 16 weeks suspended for 12 months.

“This is done to give you the chance to show you really want to make a new start.

“We have taken into account the promise of new accommodation, and that is why we are not sending you to prison again today.”

She was also ordered to pay victim surcharge of £128 and court costs of £85, totalling £213.

Flowers is currently serving a suspended prison sentence of 23 weeks for a breach to the same order, which was imposed by Preston Crown Court on October 22, following an appeal of the magistrates’ court decision to send her to prison for 23 weeks made on October 10.

The latest sentence will be served concurrently with the one imposed by Preston Crown Court.

The magistrates were told by the legal adviser that because the suspended sentence Miss Flowers was currently serving was imposed by Preston Crown Court, they did not have the power to activate the implications of that sentence.