A mother and her lawyer daughter have been jailed for five-and-a-half years for a campaign of harassment against their neighbours in the Lincolnshire village of Bassingham. Susan Chen, 61, and Linda Lu, 35, were convicted of stalking James and Lynn Smith after a five-week trial at Lincoln Crown Court.
The pair were caught on camera banging loudly, playing music, laughing hysterically, and shouting at their rented semi-detached home in Linga Lane. They shone torches at the Smiths' home, kicked a metal bin, smashed bottles against the fence, and spied on the family in their garden. A mobile phone playing the 1920s song 'The Laughing Policeman' on repeat was left in the garden to cause 'maximum distress', said Judge James House KC.
The harassment began after an argument over hedge cutting on July 18, 2023. Chen and Lu verbally abused Mr Smith, a teacher, calling him a paedophile and a 'freak'. They ignored community warning notices and police advice, and claimed they were the victims, not the instigators. The judge said they showed no remorse and their allegations were 'figments of the defendants' own delusions'.
In a victim impact statement, Mrs Smith said the family are looking to move away from their dream home. Mr Smith said their happiness was 'shattered' after the pair moved in. The court also heard Chen had previously attacked an elderly couple in a park in 2020, hitting them with a walking pole.
Judge House said the case was one of the most serious of its nature, and the pair must serve half of their sentence before being eligible for release on licence. An indeterminate restraining order was also imposed.
