Fury as woman spared jail for grave urination

Annette Slight, 54, of Well Street, Pallion, Sunderland, was given a two-year community punishment order and will be electronically tagged for six months.

Sunderland magistrates ruled she must be indoors from 6pm to 10pm and carry out 40 hours of unpaid work.

Her solicitor said Slight intends to appeal against the ruling because she is physically and mentally disabled and unable to undertake the work.

She previously admitted causing alarm, harassment and distress by her actions on January 29.

John McGlone, prosecuting, told the court how three weeks before the offence, Henry Tutty had been interred at Bishopwearmouth Cemetery, in Sunderland.

Mr Tutty's widow, Jean, and daughter, Lauren, had taken his grandchildren, Chloe, six, and Elliott, two, to the grave.

They were tending it when Slight and her husband came along with three dogs and let them off their leads.

The family protested when one of the dogs urinated on Mr Tutty's grave, and were outraged when Slight lowered her trousers and did the same after shouting abuse at them.

Lauren took a photograph of Slight on her mobile phone and called police.

Slight handed herself in after the picture was made public.

Lisa Bishop, in mitigation, said: "There is genuine remorse from her and she is very sorry about what she has done.

"She has physical problems and suffers from mental health issues.

"If it was not for her husband caring for her, she would be in residential care."

The court heard that her house and car have been vandalised by people angry at what she did and that the couple have suffered crank phone calls.

Jean Tutty, 57, said the sentence was lenient.

She said: "What she did devastated and disgusted us at a time when we were grieving over Henry's loss.

"I would have liked her to get a six-month jail sentence, or at least have be forbidden from entering the cemetery.

"I would like people to write to Sunderland City Council to campaign to have her banned for life."