An aspiring singer made her neighbours’ lives a misery by blasting pop music so loud their walls shook and accompanying it with a “voice like a wailing banshee”.
Sandrine Lester, 48, was slapped with a criminal behaviour order as a nuisance neighbour in January this year, but she flouted the ban on loud music and singing within days.
Neighbour Jeremy Edwards recorded clips of Lester as she sang from her window at close to midnight, blasted chart music for an hour-and-a-half, and danced in the street.
When Mr Edwards remonstrated with her, Lester banged on the door at his family home in Kew and shouted “f*** off” repeatedly, Wimbledon magistrates court heard.
Mr Edwards, 58, said: “She made our lives a misery from the day we moved here three and a half years ago.”
Neighbour Tom Oliver, 24, added: “She had a voice like a wailing banshee.”
Handing Lester a six-month prison sentence suspended for the next year, magistrate Timothy Harrison said: “These are persistent and wilful breaches of court orders.”
Laura Strachan Taylor, for the prosecution, said Lester has a string of similar convictions dating back to 2013. She was handed her latest criminal behaviour order on January 9, banning her from playing loud music, singing, screaming, or wailing. But Ms Strachan Taylor said just six days later Lester was playing loud music.
Lester, who has moved to Hersham in Surrey, blamed her actions on a drink problem, and said that she had been threatened with eviction which also contributed to her behaviour.
She pleaded guilty to six charges of breaching a criminal behaviour order, and was found guilty at trial of using threatening, insulting, or abusive behaviour or words to cause harassment, alarm or distress to Mr Edwards.
Magistrates ordered Lester to complete 15 days of alcohol rehabilitation, and pay £300 in costs as well as a £122 court fee.
