Killed for bursting a football
Father and daughter attacked neighbour who snapped after it kept landing in her garden
A FATHER and daughter killed their neighbour in revenge for popping a football that had been kicked over her fence.
Natalie Bollen, 28, and her father William Jelly, 48, viciously attacked Kelly Machin in her home after barging their way inside.
Miss Machin, 34, had burst a ball belonging to one of Bollen’s four children after reaching the end of her tether with their anti-social behaviour, a court heard.
After footballs kept landing in her garden, she punctured one with a knife and returned it.
Bollen then ran to Miss Machin’s house and banged on her door, shouting: ‘I’m going to kill you.’ She later barged into the neighbour’s home with Jelly to ‘bang her out’.
Miss Machin was left with five broken ribs after the assault and died from internal bleeding ten days later after being sent home from hospital.
On Thursday, Bollen and her father were convicted of manslaughter following a ten-day trial at Leicester Crown Court.
The jury heard Miss Machin had been having problems with Bollen for several months. The neighbours’ gardens backed on to each other on a newbuild estate in Leicester Forest East.
After Miss Machin popped the ball, Bollen and a group of other women charged round to her house on August 23 last year. Bollen was described as ‘the ringleader’.
They banged on the door and Bollen shouted: ‘You might not come out now, Kelly, but I’m going to kill you.’
Miss Machin called 999 and told police she was scared for her life. But the gang returned 20 minutes later with Jelly, and the pair burst into the house when the door was opened by Miss Machin’s friend.
Bollen punched Miss Machin in the face several times before Jelly pushed her, causing her to fall backwards and break five ribs, rupturing her chest cavity.
William Harbage, prosecuting, told the court: ‘The defendants then left her curled up on the floor crying, and holding her ribs.’ Miss Machin called emergency services while Bollen and Jelly were still in the house.
In the call she can be heard crying out in pain and saying: ‘They smashed my head up.’ Both defendants could be heard shouting aggressively to her before leaving.
Police and paramedics felt it was not necessary for Miss Machin to go to hospital.
She continued to experience severe pain so went to hospital on August 28, but was told her injuries did not require emergency treatment.
Mr Harbage said Miss Machin died ‘alone and in pain, with significant breathing difficulties’ over the course of the weekend of September 3 and 4.
The rib fractures had caused 1.9 litres of blood to gradually accumulate around her heart until it stopped working.
She was found dead by a friend. It is unclear whether or not Miss Machin lived alone.
Bollen’s defence counsel said she was suffering from an emotionally unstable personality disorder, depression with psychotic features, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.
After the verdicts, Judge Nicholas Dean QC said both defendants were ‘angry and behaved in an aggressive, bullying and violent way, although not in a way that anyone expected it to lead to the death of Kelly Machin’. He told Bollen: ‘A long sentence of imprisonment is inevitable.’
Jelly was not present for the verdicts, having collapsed in the dock earlier that day.
Speaking after the verdicts, Detective Chief Inspector David Swift-Rollinson of Leicestershire Police said: ‘The defendants’ actions on that day were excessive and they attacked Kelly without regard for the consequences.’
Bollen and Jelly are due to be sentenced in June.
‘Died alone and in pain’