A grandma who was convicted of attacking and racially abusing her neighbours is sleeping in her car after being banned from her home.
Barbra Aitchison was jailed in July after being found guilty of racially aggravated harassment and racially aggravated common assault, YorkshireLive reports.
The court heard Aitchison's victims were left living in fear and were 'afraid to leave their homes' following the harassment and attacks, which took place between March and June last year.
Aitchison, 57, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, subjected her victims to verbal and physical abuse and even followed them to work, grabbing and assaulting one of them on one occasion.
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She was also served an indefinite restraining order which bans her from contact, directly or indirectly, with her victims.
Barbra was released from prison last week and has moaned that she feels like her home of 32 years has been ‘stripped away’ from her.
She claims that she is ‘frightened’ for her future and she is 'heartbroken' that she can’t even make herself a cup of tea on the street where she raised her son.
She claims there has been a ‘miscarriage of justice’ and feels like the restraining order which was placed on her was unjust.
Barbra said: “I’m a vulnerable person. And now I’m so frightened for my future. They kicked me out of my house of 32 years.
“I got locked up and lost all of my benefits. If I didn’t have friends I wouldn’t even have a cup of tea or a shower.
“I have been treated like a second-class citizen. I’ve been abandoned.
Now I have nowhere to live. I’ve got really bad mental health and it’s been such a big struggle.
“I’m finding it so difficult. My home has been stripped away from me.”
Barbra said that she was friendly with her victim at first but their relationship soured over the years.
She claims that there had been complaints about music and eventually she started receiving ‘hostile messages’.
She said she was shocked when she was arrested by police in June and she now wants to return to the home where she raised her son and her grandchild.
Barbra added: "I just want to go back home to where I have lived for 32 years. It's where I raised my son.
"I used to bring him out to the park just round the corner. I just want my old life back."
Following her sentencing, South Yorkshire Police said the residents on the street were ‘repeatedly racially abused and harassed’.
Hate Crime Officer PC Chris Nicholson said: "Aitchison’s victims lived in fear and ended up being afraid to leave their homes in case they were confronted.
"This was a prolonged and drawn out series of offences which has had a significant impact on the victims, who have been repeatedly racially abused and harassed.
"We are pleased that Aitchison has received a custodial sentence alongside her restraining order, it sends a signal that this type of criminality will be dealt with.
"Any form of hate crime or abuse is totally unacceptable and I want people to know that where these kind of offences are committed, and where we can gather supporting evidence, South Yorkshire Police will pursue justice."
