A 61-year-old woman who drove at a toddler during a bitter feud with her neighbour at a Perthshire estate has been remanded in hospital.
Debbie Ross terrorised retired joiner John Everett as he walked near his home on the historic Dall Estate, Kinloch Rannoch.
A court heard how Ross repeatedly drove at him while shouting abuse, sounding her horn and flashing her headlights.
He had to take evasive action to avoid getting hit and on one occasion, he was walking with a three-year-old girl.
Ross was found guilty of three charges of culpable and reckless driving following a trial at Perth Sheriff Court last year.
Hospital bed available
Ross returned to the dock for sentencing this week after the court called for two psychiatric reports.
Solicitor David Holmes, defending, confirmed a hospital bed is now available for his client so she can be further assessed.
Ross was remanded in hospital, pending an assessment order hearing next month.
She gave a thumbs down gesture as she was led out of the dock.
Ross has been on remand since July last year.
Row over chicken waste
The court heard how retiree Mr Everett had welcomed Ross onto the estate with a gift of homemade soup.
However, the relationship soured over lockdown, seemingly in a row over chickens.
Ross had complained she did not want to look after hens left by a previous occupant of her home.
Mr Everett claimed she left a bin bag or two of chicken faeces at his parking space outside his home in April 2020.
He said when he attempted to move the bags, he got involved in a “tug o’ war” with Ross before the contents of the bag erupted.
Mr Everett later reported his neighbour to police following an incident on August 16.
He told how he had been walking his dog Blue with another neighbour when Ross flew past him in her Land Rover.
Mr Everett said he was forced to pin his dog with his knee against a gate.
“I didn’t want to get run over by a three-and-a-half tonne vehicle,” he said.
It happened again when he was out with partner Dianne McDevitt on September 6.
And when he was walking with a toddler on September 23.
“I was trying to get her to stop,” he told jurors.
“I was holding up my hand and saying stop, not now, there’s a child here.”
He grabbed the youngster and got her out of the way.
Ross drove onto grass nearby, before continuing.
“I blew my stack, I have to be honest,” Mr Everett said.
“I said I was going to go up there to murder her, because that’s what I felt like doing. I told the police that.”
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