A woman set fire to her neighbour's Land Rover after blaming his badgers for killing a cat.
Susan Lupton, 63, torched Graham Lee's vehicle on his driveway in Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight, on June 20 last year.
The 56-year-old wildlife volunteer had been leaving food out for badgers on his property when Lupton targeted his Land Rover Freelander in what prosecutors described as an act of revenge.
She believed the animals had killed a local cat, though Lee said the feline had actually died of old age. The arson attack caused £18,500 worth of damage and completely destroyed the vehicle.
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|The row broke out over the badger
Lupton ignited a plastic container filled with white spirit and slid it beneath the car, causing flames that spread to a neighbouring property.
The fire damaged a window, toolbox, guttering, cooker extractor and Japanese Maple tree beyond repair.
Lee attempted to douse the flames with a hosepipe before firefighters arrived at the scene. He later told the court the badgers had not returned to his property since the attack.
When police arrived, Lupton immediately admitted responsibility, telling officers: "I did it. I'm responsible." She claimed a firefighter friend had instructed her on how to start the fire.
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|She appeared at Isle of Wight Crown Court
Lupton, who moved to Britain from South Africa in 1980, said she acted because "a badger killed a neighbour's cat."
The conflict between the neighbours had been escalating for months, with Lupton posting on Facebook calling Lee an "evil badger man". Prosecutor Joanna Staples told the court that Lupton had shared multiple posts targeting her neighbour online.
In his victim impact statement, Lee described Lupton as a "sick, twisted and manipulative individual" who had ruined his life. He said he now checked his security cameras several times daily, fearing another attack.
Lee told the court that Lupton had posted videos online showing herself throwing bricks at the badgers. She had also put out food for the animals "laced with glass", according to his testimony.
The destroyed Land Rover was his "pride and joy", Lee said. Kavita Hayton, whose property was damaged in the blaze, said the attack left her in a "state of fear for many months".
At sentencing, Judge James Newton-Price said the victims had suffered a "terrifying experience" and that Lupton had developed a "fixation" with Lee, becoming "irrationally obsessed".
The court heard Lupton had bipolar disorder and was sectioned after the fire due to a manic episode. Her barrister, Jonathan Underhill, requested a suspended sentence to aid her rehabilitation.
Lupton received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, with an indefinite ban from Freshwater village. She must pay £1,000 in costs and £7,835 in compensation.
A restraining order prevents her from contacting Lee.