01 January 2023 , 10:09
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A deluded mum accused her next door neighbour of running a noisy brothel and threatened to kill her.
Fatoumata Minty brandished a kitchen knife at the victim while standing in her front garden, also accusing her of having an affair with her ex.
After arriving home in Small Heath, south-east Birmingham, on September 26 last year the unnamed victim found a TV and broken plant pot outside and went to dash inside.
But Minty's front door then slammed and she was heard saying: "I am going to kill you."
Birmingham Crown Court heard the 35-year-old defendant had received a conditional caution for making a similar threat previously.
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The defendant had received a conditional caution for making a similar threat previously (BPM Media)BirminghamLive reports prosecutor Dylan Wagg said: "Suspecting these items had been placed there by the defendant, she tried to get into her house rather quickly. She then heard the defendant's front door slam and heard her say: 'I am going to kill you.'
"She turned around and saw the defendant in close proximity, about a metre away, holding a kitchen knife.
"She believed the threat to be real and called the police."
Mr Wagg said the victim could still hear Minty shouting threats even as she called the police and then heard banging on her walls.
Minty was sentenced to two years, suspended for two years (Birmingham Mail)Officers forced entry to the defendant's home and found her on her bed in her bedroom.
Minty later told officers she was either going to kill the victim or herself and made "aspersions" about her neighbour's character.
In a statement the victim said she feared being attacked by her neighbour and that she would do her serious harm.
Passing sentence, Judge Sarah Buckingham told Minty: "You came up to her front door and brandished that knife.
"She was so terrified she retreated into her home."
She said Minty had a "fixation", suspecting her neighbour had had an affair with her partner, while in a pre-sentence report she said she believed the victim was "running a brothel and could hear activity from between the walls".
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The judge said that the claim appeared delusional but, even if there were some truth to it, there was no justification for what Minty did.
But the judge said she had taken into account Minty's remorse and the defendant had already had a taste of custody after she was arrested.
Minty, of Erdington, had previously admitted making a threat to kill and having a knife.
She was sentenced to two years, suspended for two years, and ordered to perform 100 hours' unpaid work.
Theresa Hunt, defending, said Minty had no intention of returning to her previous address and was happy to abide by any terms of a restraining order.
She said the defendant had a turbulent childhood and came to the UK 12 years ago after living in Gambia and France and had managed not to get in any trouble while living without any support.