20 hours ago
Grandmother prosecuted after breaking neighbour's gnome
A grandmother was prosecuted for damaging her neighbour's garden gnome during a dispute over rights of access.
Lorraine Hutton, 66, accidentally broke one of the legs off the 18in-ornament when she moved it from a communal pathway outside her flat in Springbourne, Bournemouth.
Ms Hutton said she had apologised to owner Lilijana Cekauskiene and posted £20 through her letter box to cover the damage.
But her neighbour insisted on calling the police.
Ms Hutton was asked to attend a formal interview at a police station before being charged with criminal damage. She appeared in court three times, including for a three hour trial over the matter.
The 15-month saga, which began in March 2024, concluded with Ms Hutton being found not guilty of criminal damage.
She has now criticised both the police and CPS for allowing the matter to go to court and for wasting taxpayer money.
Ms Hutton said: 'This has just been an enormous waste of time and public money.
'I have never been in trouble with the police in my life and for people of my generation to have to go to court is embarrassing.
'I wrote a letter of apology and gave her money to cover the damage. I could have been dealt with without all this expense to the taxpayer.'
It is believed the case cost several thousands of pounds as Ms Hutton says she received legal aid and required a psychiatric assessment before going to court.
A Lithuanian interpreter costing £55 an hour was required for Ms Cekauskiene.
The CPS has insisted the case was in the public interest.
Ms Hutton added: 'I am 66 and disabled. I have no previous convictions, not even a parking ticket. I don't see how it was in the public interest to take it to court.
'I was happy to sort it out of court and would have paid up front but I was not going to lie under oath and said I did it on purpose when I did not.'
After proceedings finished, a spokesman for Wessex CPS said: 'It is not the Crown Prosecution Service's function to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a court to consider.
'In this case, we decided that there was sufficient evidence and that it was in the public interest to proceed.
'We previously sought to join this case with another involving the complainant and defendant but, ultimately, this was rejected by the court.'
A spokesman for Dorset Police said: 'We will always carry out an investigation into reported criminal damage incidents irrespective of the type of damage alleged to have been caused.
'As part of an investigation, we will speak to all parties involved to gather the full circumstances of an incident.
'A case is then submitted to the CPS, who will then decide whether or not to bring a case before the courts.'
