Neighbour set fire to Land Rover because she thought owner's badger had killed cat

Telegraph

2 days ago

A woman set fire to her neighbour's Land Rover, as she mistakenly believed a badger he cared for had killed a local cat, a court heard.
Susan Lupton, 63, set fire to Graham Lee's Land Rover in an attempt to kill badgers living on his driveway, who she blamed for the feline's death.
Mr Lee, a wildlife volunteer, would leave food out for the animals in the coastal village of Freshwater Bay, on the Isle of Wight.
He told the court the cat had died of old age.
The arson caused £18,500 worth of damage, and Mr Lee's Freelander was completely ruined by the blaze.
Lupton, a writer, was spared prison after admitting two counts of arson but has been banned from the Freshwater area. She has since moved to the nearby village of Newport.
Isle of Wight Crown Court was told she set fire to Mr Lee's 4x4 on June 20 2024, in an area where homes average £400,000 – nearly double the national average.
Joanna Staples, prosecuting, said Lupton set fire to a plastic container filled with white spirit and slid it under the car.
The 4x4 was completely gutted by the fire, and a separate property was also destroyed as the flames spread to a neighbouring house in the village.
A variety of items at the neighbouring property, ranging from a cooker extractor to a Japanese maple tree, were all damaged beyond repair.
Mr Lee tried to extinguish the blaze with a hose pipe before firefighters arrived.
He said the badgers have not come back to his property since the incident a year ago.
Lupton, who moved to the UK from South Africa in 1980, admitted she was responsible when police arrived.
The court heard she has bipolar disorder, and had shared posts on her Facebook page claiming that the car owner was an 'evil badger man'.
It was also heard by the court that she claimed a firefighter friend had told her how to start the blaze.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Lee said Lupton was a 'sick, twisted and manipulative individual' who had left him checking his security cameras numerous times a day out of a fear that she may turn up on his driveway with some matches.
He also described the loss of his 'pride and joy' Land Rover as 'beyond words' and said Lupton's actions had ruined his life.