A lodger from hell has been given a restraining order after manipulating her housemate, leaving him in fear of her. Farmer Melanie Meigh, 20, was said to have become a malign influence on the room-mate, who also worked as a farmhand, after she set up home in a spare room at his £340,000 semi detached property.
During the course of Meigh living at the house in Sandbach, Cheshire, the victim was said to have 'changed' as a person, according to his family. The formerly hard working farmhand started distancing himself from his parents, got into debt lost weight due to worry and stress and was eventually sacked for failing to turn up for shifts.
It emerged Meigh would repeatedly borrow his black Nissan Navara truck then refused to return the keys. Later when confronted she threw a bottle at the wall in his bedroom and deliberately flipped a TV off a chest of drawers, smashing the screen.
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She also threatened him with a flick knife he used at work to cut bales of hay. Police were called in after Meigh and the victim were arrested after she vandalised the home of her former Tindr lover by stuffing apples into his car exhaust and scrawling the words ''t**t' and 'c**t'' on his garden gate.
At Chester Crown Court, Meigh, of Sparrow Close, Edleston, near Nantwich was issued with a three year restraining order banning her from contacting the victim after she admitted affray and criminal damage. She was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and eight days of rehabilitation activity with the probation service.
A charge against her of false imprisonment was dropped after her not guilty plea was accepted. Last March Meigh who attended Cheshire's specialist land based Reaseheath College before becoming a farmer gave birth to a little girl after awaiting the results of a DNA test to confirm whether an ex-boyfriend is the father.
As well as the attack on home of her ex Tindr lover, she also had offences of common assault and battery on her record from February 2021 which involved her adopted mother. She is now the subject of three different restraining orders.
Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said: "In early 2022, (the victim) who is 24 years of age but who is described as something of a vulnerable young male, was approached by the defendant. He knew her as a friend, and she asked if he could provide her with accommodation.
"He had his own premises and he agreed to let her use a room at that premises. He was described as a hard working young man and not the sort who would miss a day from work.
"But his parents during the course of mid-part of 2022, said that their son changed. He ended up being sacked from his job, as he did not turn up for work and he was also less forthcoming to see his parents. It was suspected this was the influence of the defendant.
"He later described in his statement that there was an incident in the course of an argument which arose because she was borrowing his car in order to go to her place of work and not letting him have the keys.
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"They had a verbal argument. She threw a bottle at the wall in his bedroom. She deliberately flipped a TV off a chest of drawers, smashing the screen.
"She then picked up a lock knife, a knife he used at work to cut bales of hay. He worked on a farm at the time.
"He had it on the side of the bed. She picked it up and opened the knife, waving it towards him and shouting. He was frightened at that point.
"He backed away and tried to calm the situation down. She did calm down but then took his phone off him so that he could not phone the police or indeed his family.
"He did not report that to the police but mentioned it to his father subsequently. It wasn't until a further incident some months later which led to the police becoming involved.
"The defendant was subsequently arrested and questioned by police. She initially denied all matters.
"He says they were not in romantic relationship, they were housemates. The behaviour she exhibited towards him meant that he was not sleeping due to the stress of his worries.
"He said he couldn't see for himself what was happening at the time, but his family were concerned. He only now realises, as he has come to write his victim statement, that she was using and manipulating him to do things that suited her, though they were upsetting him. It had a big impact on him, emotionally, mentally and physically - he was losing weight.
"He was extremely stressed, getting into debt and not paying his bills. That is how it affected him."
In March, Meigh was sentenced to an 18-month community order and fined £120 after she vandalised the property of a 20-year-old man from Tarporley in Cheshire, whom she had met on Tinder. As well as graffiting his wall and gate, she damaged his car by stuffing apples and spray paint up the exhaust.
She also let his car tyres down and broke his bicycle, as well as stealing his passport, spanners and £12 cash. The victim dashed home from work following a tip off to find Meigh on the doorstep of his home warning him her family from London were 'on the way up'.
It is thought she had grabbed apples from a nearby tree to plug his exhaust and taunted him over the phone, by saying, 'I hope you like apples'. She was ordered to pay him £100 compensation and was issued with an 18-month restraining order.
Meigh was represented by counsel Myles Wilson who said the court had been provided with an updated probation report before offering no further mitigation.
Sentencing Judge Simon Berkson said: “This was an unhappy state of affairs.
“Your behaviour towards him was nothing short of disgraceful and upsetting to him.”
