A woman with a history of racist behaviour has been ordered to stay away from her Lebanese neighbours.

North Devon Magistrates’ Court heard Angela Janet French, 58, of 14 Barlow Road in Barnstaple, unleashed an hour-long torrent of drunken racist abuse in her back garden less than a week after being warned by magistrates to leave her neighbours alone.

The court heard French’s neighbours, Joelle and Michel Kenaan, were now fearful of their neighbour and avoid going in their back garden.

Ben Winzer, for the prosecution, said police were called to Barlow Road around 6.30pm on August 21. He said: “The defendant was heard shouting in the property next door to the complainants and then in the rear garden where she ranted and raved about foreigners in her country.

“This has been an ongoing problem so Mrs Kenaan decided to record the incident. She recorded 56 minutes of abuse which included comments such as ‘Are you going to blow me up? That’s what you do in your religion’. The abuse continued in a similar vein.”

When interviewed by police French said she was drunk and was allowed to express her views in her own garden.

Mr Winzer said: “She then continued to express her views to the police saying ‘Muslims are the problem with this world, they bomb everything’.”

The court heard French, a retired nurse, had previously been convicted of battery on Mrs Kenaan as well as racially aggravated harassment.

Presiding magistrate Michael Buckley granted a restraining order for two years. French’s existing community order was extended with an extra 40 hours’ unpaid work and she was ordered to pay £85 costs.

North Devon Journal, 20 September 2012

French’s defence lawyer pointed out that the Kenaans are in fact Christians and that French had been informed of this fact.