Waterlooville woman who tried to 'plunge' knife into neighbour detained in mental health secure unit

Portsmouth Crown Court heard tensions had long simmered between Sarah Payne, 49, and her upstairs neighbour Louisa Jacks when Payne attacked.

Payne claimed Ms Jacks was ‘unpleasant to her dog’ when she lunged at her in a communal garden in Bell Crescent, Waterlooville, on September 12 last year.

The fierce attack happened after Payne, who has a schizo-defective disorder, claimed Miss Jacks had been ‘vile’ to her that day.

Miss Jacks was moving fridge shelves from a shed to her upstairs flat, having carried up the fridge with a friend, when Payne lunged at her, the court heard.

Pierce Power, prosecuting, said during the attack Payne was ‘constantly repeating she was going to kill Miss Jacks, constantly repeating she’d harmed her dog in some way and repeatedly trying to stab her, pushing all of her weight on the knife attempting to plunge it, it appears, into Miss Jacks’.

When Payne first attacked she was scratching at her victim’s face.

Miss Jacks’ friend heard her screams and rushed to the garden and disarmed Payne, Mr Power said. Police were called and she was arrested.

Police were called and she was arrested. The victim suffered a wound to her left arm, between her little finger and second digit, bruising to the left side of her head and a ‘significant wound’ to her hand.

During the hearing, speaking via videolink from a secure facility, Payne said: ‘If I wanted to murder the girl I would have done when I first saw her sitting down, and not pushed her in a bush.’

She added: ‘I’m actually a soft person.’

The court heard a consultant forensic psychiatrist had delusions about her neighbours, and about her husband having an affair.

She has ‘compulsive outbursts’ and needs continuing psychological therapy, although she is ‘responding well’ to antipsychotic treatment.

Payne admitted causing grievous bodily harm and threatening to kill Miss Jacks.

Judge Richard Shepherd, after considering two psychiatrists’ reports, imposed a hospital order. She will continue to be treated.

The judge imposed a 10-year restraining order banning her from contacting the victim. The knife must be destroyed.

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