Woman harassed and spied on 94-year-old neighbour

A woman spied on her neighbour and verbally abused him

A woman who used cameras to spy on her 94-year-old neighbour and harassed him for years has been sentenced.

Nicola Sharkey, 65, of Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire, filmed the victim when he was mowing his lawn or had visitors and was also verbally abusive.

She used a camera disguised as a necklace and also erected a six-foot (1.8m) fence, meaning he could no longer access his house by car.

Sharkey was found guilty of harassment without violence and at Cambridge Magistrates' Court on 10 October was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work, 15 days rehabilitation activity requirement and handed a five-year restraining order.

The restraining order specified she cannot contact her neighbour or block the driveway.

Cambridgeshire Police said Sharkey and her neighbour, who share a driveway, had previously been on good terms but the friendship broke down in 2021, and in September 2023 she erected the fence, meaning he could no longer access his house by car.

The fence also made it difficult for him to receive food and medication deliveries, the court heard.

During a long campaign of harassment, police said she would also hide in bushes to film her neighbour.

'Stress'

In a victim impact statement, the man said: "I feel like I have been cut off from the world.

"This has been going on for nearly five years. In that time, I have lost my wife, my mobility has been reduced and naturally I have become less able due to my age.

"This is not a time in my life that I want to spend in a state of stress or worry. I want this time to be peaceful for me and my family."

Sharkey was found guilty of harassment without violence last month.

Det Con Charmaine Wood said: "This was a sustained period of harassment from Sharkey. What started out as a neighbour dispute quickly escalated and resulted in a vulnerable man feeling scared to leave his house.

"Her mobile phone showed she had 76 photos and videos of him simply trying to live his life, including footage from hidden cameras.

"I hope this sentence will make her realise these actions are not acceptable and we will continue to support anyone who is a victim of abuse."