It's all the fault of menopause: a British court ruled in the case of a car vandal (3 photos)

In the British city of Sevenoaks (Kent), a trial was held of a 62-year-old woman who deliberately damaged expensive cars by scratching them with a key. Eight cars were damaged at her hands, including a Mercedes and a Range Rover Vogue. The judges considered that this behavior of the lady could be a consequence of menopause.





Sue Williams, 62, scratched eight cars with a key while walking around the city, causing a total of at least £8,000 worth of damage.

The court found that Williams, who had no previous criminal record, could have committed these acts of vandalism “under the influence of menopause.”



The woman “punished” drivers for parking incorrectly: she chose cars that had at least two wheels on the sidewalk. In most cases, it caused scratches all over the side panel of the car.

Sue Williams began her crusade on March 18 last year with a white Seat Terraco. The vehicle sustained £2,776.68 worth of damage. Williams then spotted a black Ford Fiesta and scratched that too. A third vehicle, a silver Peugeot Partner van, was also damaged that day.

A few days later, the accused struck again. She scratched a gray Mercedes on March 26, causing approximately £1,453.66 worth of damage. Further on her list of “accomplishments” were a blue Mini, which sustained £840 worth of damage, and a Vauxhall Mokka. And it was completed by two more cars - a Fiat 500 and a black Range Rover Vogue.



The woman was charged with eight counts of criminal damage. She admitted all the offenses during a hearing at Medway Magistrates' Court on August 14. The sentencing took place on October 25.

Prosecutor Dylan Bradshaw said the damaged vehicles were all located next to each other.

Eight vehicles suffered at least £8,000 worth of damage, the court heard. However, some owners have used their insurers to repair the vehicle, so the total cost of repairs is unknown.

Stuart Lewis, defending, said the only reason he could offer as an explanation for Williams' behavior was that she may have been experiencing menopausal symptoms.

“It’s impossible to say for sure, but something happened in her mind that made her want to damage the cars,” he said. — Significant damage was caused. They were all parked on the sidewalk, which made it difficult for pedestrians. They had to go out onto the road to get around the car.”

The defense lawyer also told the court that Williams' husband plans to use money from his pension to compensate the victims. Williams was given a three-month curfew, which means she must stay home from 8pm to 6am.

As for the amount of compensation: Williams was ordered to return £4,500 to the car owners affected by her actions, with three people receiving £500 each and the remaining five each receiving £600. The entire amount must be paid within six months.