A woman who breached an ASBO the day she was given it has been sentenced to complete 100 hours community service.

Gillian Maria Phillips denied the breach but then walked out during a trial and was found guilty in her absence.

The 56-year-old is already subject to a community service order of 240 hours, and has completed 167 hours of that.

Prosecuting advocate Peter Connick told the court that the Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) was issued on March 20.

It was imposed after convictions for two counts of harassment, two counts of provoking behaviour, and one of escaping lawful custody.

During that sentencing, it was said that there had been 43 incidents reported in 11 months, though Phillips hadn't been spoken to by police in relation to many of them, but this was because it would've taken such a significant deployment of police resources.

Despite the ASBO being issued, at 1.30pm the same day, a woman who was walking her dogs on Beach Road in Port St Mary reported that Phillips started driving slowly behind her in her black Honda.

She said she recognised the defendant from previous interactions, and that she was holding her phone, and talking, saying: ‘Hello, police please. I want to report a woman. She’s been following me.’

The woman said she felt anxious and intimidated by Phillips’ behaviour and she subsequently called the police herself, which resulted in the defendant's arrest.

Phillips, who lives at Bay View Road in Port St Mary, appeared in court denying breaching the ASBO, and a trial was set for July 4.

However, on that date, during the trial, she walked out, claiming she was distressed because she was being stalked.

This resulted in her being found guilty in her absence and later arrested again after a warrant was issued.

A probation report said that Phillips wanted the court to know that she had meant no disrespect by leaving the court mid-trial and claimed she had not fully understood the ramifications of her actions.

Phillips told probation that she was going to appeal the trial verdict and her subsequent sentence.

The report said that the defendant had been attending community service until June, but then said she had an arm injury and was unable to get a doctor’s appointment until August.

She was said to be currently paying fines until 2030 at a rate of £25 per week, so the recommended sentence was for another community service order.

Defence advocate Victoria Watterson said that Phillips said she’d felt she was being stalked and harassed on the day of her trial, and she had reported this to the police.

Phillips will still have to complete the remaining 73 hours of her previous community service order, before commencing the new order.

Magistrates also ordered her to pay £500 prosecution costs.

Chair of the magistrates Geoff Collier told the defendant: ‘Although this was a flagrant breach it was only minutes long.

‘Nevertheless, it caused the complainant to feel anxious due to the defendant’s previous behaviour.’