NEIGHBOUR THREATENED TO KILL DOG, SET HOME ON FIRE Bad- blood feud ends up in court
A HOME HILL man has told how he feared for his life after his neighbour threatened to bash him, kill his dog and set fire to his home.
Truck driver Mark Heatlie yesterday told the Townsville District Court a minor neighbourhood dispute unleashed a torrent of abuse from neighbour Elizabeth Ellen Baker.
Mr Heatlie said he was so terrified his neighbour would go through with her threats to set his high- set home on fire, he had planned to tie a bed sheet to his dog and lower the pet down before jumping from the burning house himself.
Barker and her partner Greg Hyde had several altercations with Mr Heatlie between May 26, 2014 and August 6, 2014 which culminated with a physical fight.
Baker pleaded not guilty to stalking and threatening violence before changing her plea to guilty after Mr Heatlie appeared as a witness during the trial. Hyde had earlier pleaded guilty to the same offences and did not face trial.
Mr Heatlie said he had copped verbal abuse, threats and violence while living next door to Baker and Hyde.
“There have been little arguments about this and that and they just went overboard,” he told the court.
“It changed me as a person, I think, because I was always on edge. Who knows if they seriously thought about burning the house down?”
Baker also spat blood in Mr Heatlie’s face and emptied the contents of her wheelie bin on his front yard on August 1, 2014. The relationship between the neighbours soured after Mr Heatlie asked them to keep their dog quiet.
The pair are no longer neighbours after Baker moved about three months ago.
Crown Prosecutor Skye Jerome said her client hit Baker while defending himself during a fight with Hyde before she spat blood at his face.
“Mr Hyde was the first one to throw a punch,” she said.
“Ms Baker involved herself unnecessarily so there was two people against one. She followed Mark as he was returning to his front gate. She spat blood at Mark; this landed on his face and his shirt.”
Defence barrister Rowan Pack suggested Baker didn’t spit in Mr Heatlie’s face and that he had initiated the fight.
“He explains the police not observing blood on his shirt by the fact he had a dark- coloured T- shirt on,” he said. “There is no doubt my client suffered serious injury to her lip.”
Judge Clive Wall is expected to sentence Baker and coaccused Hyde this morning.