She’s been ordered to complete 40 hours of community service
A mum-of-two has been forced to apologise after she used a baseball bat to smash a neighbour’s car following a row over cat droppings.
Dianna Rudden, 50, from County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland was convicted of criminal damage, common assault and disorderly behaviour at Enniskillen Magistrates Court last week.
Asked about the incident, which took place in June, Rudden told Sunday Life via the Belfast Telegraph that there was more to the tale than what had been documented.
She said: “I know it sounds pathetic and people wonder how it could escalate like this. I wish it never happened and I shouldn’t have done what I did.
“I woke up to one of the cats on top of my curtain pole in my bedroom one morning and I just saw red.
“I’d already had to give up gardening, and one of my dogs three days before last Christmas, because of those cats.
“This was after months of them destroying my garden and stressing out my dogs. When I went to discuss it with the owners I had a red mist moment.
“A restraining order has been taken out against me and I am working with probation, which I welcome as the whole neighbourhood has turned on me, which is difficult.”
Previous court hearings had heard that the victim called 999, saying that Rudden had smashed up her car with a baseball bat, damaging the windows and the wing mirrors.
They also told the police of issues with Rudden in the past and revealed that she had been complaining about cats entering her garden.
Rudden was arrested and was set to be taken into custody only for police to divert to the South West Acute Hospital due to concerns over Rudden’s health.
Outside the hospital, she became abusive towards officers and was further arrested for disorderly behaviour.
“We (she and her neighbours) have been getting on fine for years until recently when they got a litter of kittens and all hell broke loose,” Rudden said.
“They started destroying my garden and defecating everywhere. My Frenchie kept getting sick from eating it, no matter how hard I tried to pick up after them.
“I took up gardening during lockdown but had to give it up because of all this.
“The cats drove my poor dogs mad and I was just fighting a losing battle.
“I ended up having to put bubble wrap on the inside of the windows to stop the dogs from hurting themselves.
“There was an altercation with the people in question and things started to get worse from then on.
“I have enough going on without this. I just want peace.”
Rudden was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and was given an 18-month probation order.
She was also ordered to pay £300 in compensation.
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