Woman cleared of attacking her neighbour in her car

A woman accused of attacking her neighbour while she was driving has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Michelle Mee, 49, of Amethyst Drive, Sutton, had been charged with assault following an incident in which she confronted 47-year-old Beverley Walvin who had stopped her car at the end of the road.

Mansfield Magistrates’ Court was told how the pair had clashed weeks before over Mrs Mee’s pet dog.

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Mrs Walvin said the boxer dog had not been on a lead and had jumped up at her three-year-old daughter, pinning her against a car. The police were called by Mrs Walvin.

Mrs Mee denied this happened and said the dog had been on a lead the whole time.

Then 13 days later on February 3 this year, Mrs Walvin had been driving to pick her older daughter up from school when she was approached by Mee.

It was claimed by the Crown Prosecution Service that Mrs Mee walked up to the car and started shouting through the half-open driver’s side window of the vehicle “get out of the car and let’s sort it out”, while jabbing her finger into Mrs Walvin’s arm.

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She denied saying such words and touching Mrs Walvin, despite the victim being left with bruising to her arm.

Mrs Mee admitted swearing at her - something that she regretted because Mrs Walvin had her younger three-year-old daughter in the car at the time.

She said she had approached the vehicle was because Mrs Walvin had driven too close to where she was stood on the road while getting her dog out of her own vehicle - something that Mrs Walvin herself denied.

The court was also told that Mrs Mee had then gone to see her neighbour days later after receiving a letter to say she had been charged with assault by beating and was due to appear in court.

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She accepted that she did visit her to ask her to stop the court action.

Mrs Mee told the magistrates: “I was stunned because I did not think anything would come of it. The word that was used was beating, and I was just shocked. I wanted to speak to her woman to woman because it had gone too far.”

Defending, Chris Perry said Mrs Mee was of good character and had never been in trouble before. She was also worried about her dog-walking business that she had recently set up.

After deliberating, the magistrates said: “Both have clear, consistent accounts that are both credible, but they can’t both be telling the truth.

“Mrs Mee has the benefit of good character and the prosecution has failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.”

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