A 75-year-old Southampton woman has appeared in court accused of the malicious poisoning of her neighbour with ant killer, capping an alleged campaign of harassment that prosecutors say began with a bitter dispute over their shared driveway.
Sally Beaney of Southampton faced Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with using ant killer to poison a man on 13 October 2025, with intent to “injure, aggrieve, or annoy” him. She is further charged with harassment without violence of the same man between 6 August and 11 November last year.
The Alleged Harassment Campaign
The court heard the alleged harassment centred on a shared driveway, with Beaney accused of repeatedly parking her car to block access to her neighbour’s home. Prosecutors detailed a further escalation, alleging she placed plant pots, wooden structures, and other physical obstacles across the drive to obstruct it.
This alleged obstruction tapped into a common but legally fraught area of neighbourly conflict. Under UK law, particularly the Highways Act 1980, obstructing a shared driveway is illegal and can result in a fine. Those with a legal right of way over such land—typically an easement attached to the property deeds—have the right to pass and repass, but parking or placing obstacles can constitute a “substantial interference” if it makes using the right markedly more difficult.
The allegations go beyond physical blockades. Beaney is accused of displaying signs on or near the obstacles, which accused her neighbour of trespassing and of “abusing, threatening, or intimidating delivery drivers and other service providers” attending his address. She is also alleged to have made an obscene gesture towards the man and his family, including a child, while they were walking.
The Gravity of the Poisoning Charge
The most serious allegation, which mandates the case be heard in a crown court, is that of malicious poisoning. The charge is brought under Section 24 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, which deals specifically with administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy. This is distinct from the more severe Section 23 of the same Act, which covers administering poison to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm.
Conviction under Section 24 can nonetheless lead to a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The product allegedly used, ant killer, is regulated under UK laws including the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), with its sale and use subject to specific safety conditions.
During the brief hearing, Beaney, who wore a black coat, spoke only to confirm her name. No plea was entered for the poisoning charge, as magistrates cannot try such indictable-only offences.
Case Sent to Crown Court
Addressing Beaney, District Judge Anthony Callaway confirmed the matter must proceed to a higher court. “I am going to grant you unconditional bail to the Crown Court as I have indicated,” he stated. Beaney was granted unconditional bail and is scheduled to appear at Southampton Crown Court in May.
The separate charge of harassment without violence, brought under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, defines harassment as a “course of conduct” that the perpetrator knows or ought to know amounts to harassment. If prosecuted summarily, the maximum penalty is six months’ imprisonment or a fine.
