A woman set fire to her neighbour’s Land Rover, as she mistakenly believed a badger he cared for had killed a local cat, a court heard.

Susan Lupton, 63, set fire to Graham Lee’s Land Rover in an attempt to kill badgers living on his driveway, who she blamed for the feline’s death.


The arson caused £18,500 worth of damage, and Mr Lee’s Freelander was completely ruined by the blaze.

Lupton, a writer, was spared prison after admitting two counts of arson but has been banned from the Freshwater area. She has since moved to the nearby village of Newport.

Lupton, who moved to the UK from South Africa in 1980, admitted she was responsible when police arrived.