Newark pensioner Janette Moffat convicted of using racial slur amid claim neighbour's dog attacked her pet

A cat lover has been convicted of using a racial slur towards a neighbour after accusing their dog of attacking one of her pets.

Pensioner Janette Moffat appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court as part of a series of altercations with neighbours on John Gold Avenue, Newark, that saw her issued with a criminal behaviour order last year.

Moffat, 67, who has six cats between her and her son, accused the neighbour's dog of attacking one of them while running loose in her garden.

Moffat, who said in court that the cats meant everything to her, used the racial slur while shouting at the neighbour from an upstairs window.

Her version was that she asked nicely for the neighbour to keep the dog off of her property and hadn't sworn, but magistrates believed the evidence of the neighbouring family.

Moffat insisted her cat had been attacked, despite nothing showing on a CCTV system.

The prosecution said she rang 999 for an incident that didn't happen.

What the CCTV, aired in court, did show was Moffat standing behind a neighbour's car and refusing to move while insisting she check their garage for the cat.

When police showed Moffat the footage she still insisted it had happened before switching to no comment.

She claimed she had treated the cat for injuries herself rather than take it to a vet and reported the dog as dangerous to the RSPCA.

Giving evidence in her own defence at her trial, Moffat said she was an animal lover who supported the RSPCA and, having worked in hospitals and care homes, would never be racist.

However, the bench found her guilty of causing harassment, alarm or distress that was racially-aggravated.

Moffat tried to exit the courtroom on hearing the verdict and was told she couldn't. The magistrates did rise for a few minutes after Moffat began sobbing, claiming she was the victim of the behaviour of her neighbours.

"I can't do this any more," she sobbed: "I would rather go to prison."

When the magistrates returned, they sentenced her to a 12-month conditional discharge, meaning she escaped further punishment on the day but could be re-sentenced for that crime if she re-offends within the next year.

Moffat must pay £332 in costs.

Moffat was given an indefinite Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) for harassing her neighbours and being a nuisance.

This latest offence pre-dated the granting of the order which followed a campaign of harassment towards her neighbours, repeatedly causing nuisance within the wider community and incidents of making false and malicious reports to the police and district council about a number of individuals.

The application to the court also evidenced Moffat’s history of verbal abusive behaviour towards local young people.