A HARTFORD woman said there was ‘nothing sinister’ in watching her neighbour’s house, collecting data on her central heating system and approaching their visitors, a court heard.

Jan Krause, 47, of Walnut Lane, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday, for the first day of an appeal against a guilty conviction and sentence relating to a charge of harassment.

The transsexual was previously sentenced at Chester Magistrates Court in August, 2010, and received a 12-week sentence suspended for 18 months, 120 hours of community service, a 18-week curfew and a four year restraining order.

On the opening day of the appeal, Oliver King, prosecuting, said that Krause began to harass Carol Story, her neighbour living on the opposite side of the road, in 2004.

He added: “This is something which is still ongoing.”

Mr King outlined a timeline of the alleged incidents of harassment, dating from May 2004.

These included complaints to the council about building regulations relating to Mrs Story’s property, a noise coming from her central heating flue, putting obstacles in the road to prevent the victim’s builders from having access to her property, challenging Mrs Story’s visitors about their parking, posting videos of the house on You Tube, calling armed police to a fancy dress party at the home and watching and writing notes about the family.

Mr King added: “Krause claims that contact was necessary and reasonable in order to gather evidence against Mrs Story.”

When giving evidence, Mrs Story said that she began to feel ‘uneasy’ about Krause’s behaviour, at the end of 2004.

She said she found Krause ‘extremely intimidating and unnerving’ and explained an incident in March 2007, when Krause allegedly intentionally damaged her daughter’s car.

“I saw Krause and his mother getting ready to leave their house. He was reversing towards my daughter’s vehicle - my daughter was yelling stop,” Mrs Story said.

“She just stuck two fingers up at me and drove off.”

She said that Krause had left a dent in her daughter’s car.

The court heard that Krause had been watching event’s at Mrs Story’s house, and detailing them in a note pad.

Mrs Story added: “I believed Krause had been stalking me and watching my every move.

“She seemed to be aware of every move I made.

“Her behaviour contributed to causing my stress and anxiety.

“I found it totally sinister.”

Krause, who had no legal representation, cross examined Carol Story, and talked of the alleged objects on the grass verge that stopped builder’s from accessing Mrs Story’s property.

“I am suggesting to you this allegation of impediment towards lorries is contrived, to claw back the harassment allegations to 2004, to frame me.”

Referring to the note-taking at Mrs Story’s property, Krause said: “The council led me into this. I was merely gathering evidence.

“It was all against your flue but you made it personal by not attending to your flue.

“You made it personal by photographing me and filming me for four years.

“You try to assert that I am stalking you when patently I am not.”

The appeal case continues.