Judge warning to no-show Asbo OAP

Dorothy Evans trying to shield her face at a previous court hearing

An 81-year-old has been told she risks arrest if she fails to turn up for sentence tomorrow for making her neighbours' lives "hell".

Dorothy Evans, from Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, has been convicted of harassment and six breaches of an Asbo.

Evans failed to appear on Monday. The court heard she was being examined in hospital after feeling unwell.

Judge Roderick Denyer QC said the pensioner was "deliberately frustrating the processes of this court".

He ordered that an arrest warrant be issued unless Evans turns up in court at 0930 BST on Tuesday.

She was said to be at Nevill Hall hospital in Abergavenny, for treatment which would take two to three hours.

The court also heard that Evans had failed to attend a meeting with the probation service in March, which breached a condition of bail.

'Absolute hell'

David Webster, defending, told the court she was due to undergo a number of blood tests at hospital.

He said Evans had a complex medical history, including a heart condition and hypertension.

But Mr Webster said: "I am bound to acknowledge that throughout the court proceedings there have been a number of hospital admissions which the court might treat with a degree of scepticism."

Judge Denyer said: "She has quite deliberately frustrated the workings of this court. I will not be prepared to adjourn this any futher in the light of her non-cooperation."

The trial in February heard that Evans had made her neighbours' lives "absolute hell".

The judge has already said that, despite her age, he was "seriously contemplating a prison sentence".

He said it was the only way of bringing home the seriousness of her behaviour.

A medical report on Evans' current physical condition has been prepared in the meantime.

I don't really care what the sentence is, I just hope she never speaks to me again Angela Casa, neighbour

The defendant had been warned by the judge that if she did not appear for sentence without a very good reason, he would issue a warrant for her arrest.

Evans was convicted of the offences against her next-door neighbours in Park Crescent, Angela and Roberto Casa, between January and June 2006.

The jury had heard how Evans had told the Casas' 13-year-old daughter she was a witch and would cast a spell on her family and kill her pet dog.

Angela Casa described several neighbourly disputes, including rows over parking and flooding problems.

She claimed the pensioner called her a prostitute and also that she tried to run her off the road on several occasions and had hit her with a walking stick.

Mrs Casa after the verdict: "I don't really care what the sentence is, I just hope she never speaks to me again.

"I just want to be able to get up in the morning and go out into my garden without having to worry about abuse."