Inside the bitter neighbourhood feud sparked by a noise complaint that dramatically escalated when a woman grabbed her rival by the throat and 'pulled her hair from her skull'
Kerry-Jane Dent, 47, pleaded guilty to trespass and assault occasioning bodily harm in company after the incident at Logan Village, south of Brisbane, on March 8
A disability support worker grabbed her neighbour through a gate and pulled 'hair from her skull' following an early morning noise complaint.
Kerry-Jane Dent, 47, pleaded guilty to trespass and assault occasioning bodily harm in company after the incident at Logan Village, south of Brisbane, on March 8.
Police were called to Dent's property at about 2.30am following reports a man and a woman had been shouting, Quest Newspapers reported.
The Beenleigh Magistrates Court heard the mother-of-four was 'grossly intoxicated' and 'barely able to converse'.
She told police: 'That w***e next door made the complaint, I'm going to smash her'.
At about 4am, the victim woke to noise out the front of her home and when she went to investigate the disruption she found Dent and another person.
The woman walked to her front gate and told Dent and her companion to leave the premises.
She was standing about one-metre from the gate when Dent reached through and pulled the victim into it.
Dent then pushed her neighbour to the ground and pulled strands of hair from the victim's skull.
Dent's daughter arrived at the scene and pleaded with her mum to go home, while the victim's son came out of the home and tried to break up the scuffle.
He pushed Dent away from the barrier and the 47-year-old fell backwards.
Dent grabbed her neighbour through a gate and pulled 'hair from her skull' following an early morning noise complaint
The person who attended the property with Dent was 'screaming profanities' and shook the gate 'violently'.
The pair were eventually moved on by Dent's daughter.
On Monday, the court heard there had been long-established tension between Dent and one of her neighbours.
Dent had no criminal history and lost her job following the incident.
Defence lawyer Katherine Hanson told the court the clash left both parties 'battered and bruised' as there was 'summary justice'.
Ms Hanson said her client held a family gathering preceding the incident and 'would not have acted as she did' if she had not consumed alcohol.
Dent has not had alcohol since, Ms Hanson said.
The incident was labelled 'very ugly' by Magistrate Clare Kelly, who said the scuffle would have cause significant distress for the children who became involved.
Dent, who now lives at Redbank Plains, was placed on a nine-month probation order and no convictions were recorded.
The person who was with her on the night was fined for trespassing.