A WOMAN who made her neighbours' lives a misery and drove them from their home was last night beginning a five-month prison sentence.

Jacqueline Devey, who is registered blind, sobbed as she was jailed by a judge at Teesside Crown Court, who condemned her for a "campaign of harassment".

The 54-year-old, of Leyburn Road, Darlington, plagued childminders Vanessa and Matthew Lovejoy with loud music on her radio late at night and constant abuse and threats.

Devey said she would kill Mrs Lovejoy and the children she was caring for.

Events came to a head when Devey, who had already been fined and given a restraining order by magistrates, barged into Mrs Lovejoy in the street while she was pushing a pram with two children she was caring for and called her trailer trash.

Devey was convicted earlier this month of five counts of breaching a restraining order last year.

The order was aimed at preventing her from threatening or abusing Mrs Lovejoy and her family.

The court heard how Devey's behaviour had caused the Lovejoys' eight-year-old daughter to stay at her grandparents' home at the weekend.

The Lovejoys also had extreme difficulty in selling their house because they had to disclose to prospective buyers the problems they had with Devey.

Brian Russell, for Devey, who was said to in poor health and had to be helped into court by her husband, Tommy, said that for many years, the couple lived at their home without problems, and that there had been no difficulties since the Lovejoys moved.