A former Penygroes woman branded the neighbour from Hell has escaped jail despite admitting assaulting a local authority housing officer.

Samantha Jayne Browne, previously of 37 Spien Road but now living at 21 Wern Road in Garnant, became the first person in Wales to be made subject of the anti-social behaviour order forbidding guests from attending her Carmarthenshire County Council-owned home following numerous complaints by neighbours ahead of her eviction two weeks ago.

Browne, aged 40, appeared before Llanelli magistrates to admit assaulting housing officer Robert Heaney outside the property on September 8 and being drunk and disorderly in public in Waterloo Road, Penygroes, on September 3.

During the first incident, police attended following reports of “drunks abusing members of the public in the street,” associate prosecutor Sharon Anderson told the court.

When an officer spoke to Browne, who was present at the scene, she said she would “smash his face in”.

Five days later, Mr Heaney visited Browne’s home at 2pm as part of the eviction process.

“He had been on the phone to colleagues when they heard a commotion in the background,” Ms Anderson told the court.

“The phone went dead and they called the police.”

The court heard how Browne had been abusive towards Mr Heaney following his arrival at the property and had been “running around outside shouting and swearing”.

When Mr Heaney went to speak to neighbours, Browne shoved him twice while again swearing and shouting abuse.

When interviewed, Browne said she could not recall what had taken place but said the abuse levelled at Mr Heaney “sounded like something I might say”.

Magistrates were told that at the time of both officers Browne was the subject of two separate suspended prison sentences, including one for assaulting a police officer.

David Williams, defending, told the court that Browne had a long-standing problem with alcohol.

He said that much of Browne’s anti-social behaviour stemmed from fears for her safety at the property.

“She has had her flat broken into on a number of occasions, but with nothing taken,” he said.

“She has returned home to find the property flooded after someone broke and cut the pipes to the washing machine.

“In August she went away for two weeks because she was frightened to stay in the flat, but when she returned it had been broken into again.

“She has been living in very difficult circumstances over the past months.

“She believes that the break-ins at her flat were never for theft because nothing was ever taken. She believes they were committed solely to drive her out.

“She felt she was the subject of harassment and in response she reverted to drinking heavily.

“Because she was frightened to be alone at the property she would regularly invite people back – the problem being because she is an alcoholic, her friends too are heavy drinkers and they would stay with her.

“The problem became cyclical.”

Mr Williams said that since her eviction Browne had moved in with a non-drinker.

“There is never any alcohol in the house,” he said.

“She has cut all ties with her former friends.

“She desperately wants to sort her life out.”

Magistrates accepted that Browne was making efforts to change her life and agreed to refrain from sending her to jail.

They allow the two existing suspended jail terms to continue and sentenced her to a further six weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, for assaulting Mr Heaney.

For breaching the suspended sentences, they extended both to run until September 2016.

She was ordered to pay £50 compensation to Mr Heaney and court costs of £85.

She was also ordered to pay a criminal court charge of £150 and a victim surcharge of £80.

No separate penalty was imposed for the drunk and disorderly offence.