Mum and daughter hurled racist abuse at their neighbours
A GRAN hurled vile racist abuse at a neighbour as she and her daughter accused her of reporting them to the council over noise.
Trouble had been brewing between Dawn and Nicole Cook and their neighbours over claims the Cooks were causing a nuisance with loud music and other noise.
In April this year, the victim was at home when she heard Nicole Cook shouting her name from the back garden, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
She accused the woman of “calling the council on her mother”, which she denied doing.
Rachel Glover, prosecuting, said: “Nicole Cook swore at her and said to her she was going to smash her face in.
“She told her to come into the garden of the defendants’ address but the complainant went back inside her home and phoned the police.
“She then heard Dawn Cook shouting her name. She went outside and was again accused of calling the council. At this point Dawn Cook said to her she was going to smash her face in, saying ‘you better watch what happens’.
“She then called her ‘p*** b*******’.” The victim rang the police a second time and officers attended to try to speak to the Cooks.
But the intoxicated, argumentative pair then abused the police.
Nicole Cook was seen to pick up a brick and run towards the fence between the gardens, seemingly intent on throwing it, but an officer stopped her and tried to arrest her.
Mother and daughter then both became violent and aggressive.
Miss Glover said: “Nicole Cook came to the doorway brandishing a knife and threw the knife at the officers. Thankfully it missed them.
“Her mother pushed her back inside but Nicole Cook came back to the door brandishing a knife again and threw it at the officers, fortunately missing.”
The police retreated and other officers attended and saw the Cooks leaning out a window, telling them to go away.
Nicole Cook was brandishing a knife again and it was dropped out of the window.
When Dawn Cook was arrested she said it was “because of the black b****** next door”.
Nicole Cook violently resisted arrest and had to be put in leg restraints.
The victim said in a statement read to the court: “Dawn Cook still lives next door which is continuing to cause issues, mainly due to noise constantly coming from the address, loud music and banging at all hours of the day.
“I can overhear her and she often makes snide comments directed at me and this makes me feel anxious and intimidated.
“I feel this awkward atmosphere prevents me living in peace in my own property.
“I live with my 17-year-old daughter and this has affected her. She’s now scared to go out in case she’s confronted by them.”
Dawn Cook, 46, of Crossway, Kenton, Newcastle, who has six previous convictions, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment and resisting a PC and was sentenced to four months suspended for 18 months.
Nicole Cook, 19, of Westgate Road, Newcastle, has 26 previous convictions, including for assaulting an emergency worker, for which she got a suspended prison sentence in June. She admitted threatening behaviour, affray and resisting a PC and got six months suspended for 18 months.
Both were also give 10-year restraining orders to protect the victim.
Judge Tim Gittins told the incident was “thoroughly disgraceful, prolonged, drunken, offensive, unpleasant and ignorant”.
He added: “You complain about others. You are the ones that need to look in the mirror about your behaviour - constantly playing loud music, constantly abusing your neighbours.”
The judge said the victim is a skilled employee who “makes a positive contribution to society” who has been left on medication due to the behaviour of the Cooks.
Judge Gittins said he was giving them a final chance to behave, telling them: “Your behaviour to your neighbours stops now.”
Vic Laffey, for Dawn Cook, said she has caring responsibilities for her 14-year-old daughter’s baby and “suffers from low mood”.
Mr Laffey added: ““She accepts she acted completely inappropriately but towards the end she acted to defuse her daughter’s actions.”
Nick Peacock, for Nicole Cook, said: “It was unsavoury behaviour, no doubt fuelled by her ingestion of alcohol and drugs - that’s been a long-standing issue for her. She’s now engaging with drug and alcohol support well.”
The court heard she is at college and has mental health issues.