Victim's fury as mum beat man over head with spade in bitter three-year feud

A family has described the "hell" they've endured at the hands of a scheming next-door neighbour who hit one of them over the head with a spade.

Catherine 'Cat' Lloyd left the man in his 20s with a large gash to the head which required treatment in hospital. A court heard Llloyd, 44, attacked him outside the back of his property in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, when the long-running dispute about several issues became ugly.

Lloyd was jailed for 10 months last week but it is reported the mum of three has already been released back onto the streets due to time she has served in custody. The victim's family is terrified she will strike again - despite the relatives installing an iron gate in the passageway where the attack happened.

"This is not a long-running dispute. It's not 'she had a go, we had a go'. There's no tennis involved. It's her just persecuting us for her own enjoyment. We were subjected to a hate campaign and we have no idea why. It's been hell, it's been purgatory. She's a calculated, scheming woman," the victim's grandparents-in-law, who also live at the address next to Lloyd's home, said today.

READ MORE: Manchester Airport trial: Police chief says officers 'are bloodied and bruised' after assaults

READ MORE: Mum's chilling fear before 'ex-fiance raped and murdered her' in luxury hotel

Shocking CCTV footage played at Peterborough Crown Court shows the moment Lloyd struck, whacking the man with the spade. Speaking after the thug was sentenced, DC Lloyd Davis said: "Catherine Lloyd’s behaviour in this case was completely unacceptable. Irrespective of any ongoing dispute, violence like this is not the answer. I’m pleased the victim can now move on."

But the Daily Mail understands the defendant is back on the streets due to time she has served in custody - claims the Mirror has put to Cambridgeshire Police - and this has left the family concerned. The grandparents-in-law continued: "We are having to safeguard ourselves from the possibility of an absolute nutjob coming back to finish the job that she intended."

The three-year dispute started after Lloyd - who had been completely fine with them when she first moved in back in 2019 - put a random letter through the family's letterbox on May 27, 2020. In the strongly worded letter, it is understood Lloyd claimed her neighbours had left "broken roof tiles" and "tree trimmings" in her garden and threatened to report them to the police.

Things escalated after the husband and wife unsuccessfully attempted to engage in a "reasonable discussion" with Lloyd - and she took the shocking action on May 14, 2023. For this, the woman admitted grievous bodily harm without intent when court proceedings eventually got underway.

Lloyd's neighbour on the other side was more sympathetic to the situation, telling the Daily Mail: "I feel sorry for her. She needs help. She was always very friendly and helpful. She would offer to do my shopping and made me a christmas-dinner>Christmas dinner. She's got lovely twins. We were good friends for quite a while...She was friendly, helpful, bright, she could be funny."

The Mirror has contacted Cambridgeshire Constabulary for further comment on Lloyd's sentence.