Jail term for homophobic mother

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A mother has been sentenced to 150 days in prison for leading her daughter in a campaign of homophobic abuse against a gay couple.

Karen Reeves, 44, and Christie Myles, 22, both of The Halt, Whitstable, were handed a five-year ban from the parish of Kingston, on the outskirts of Canterbury, where they made the lives of Michael Harris and Shires Crichton a misery.

The mother and daughter had both denied using homophobic and offensive abuse towards Michael Harris and Shires Crichton of Marley Lane, in Kingston, near Canterbury.

The couple have been dubbed by locals as, ‘The only gays in the village’, a reference to a sketch in BBC comedy show Little Britain.

The torrent of abuse started after the couple, who had been together for 15 years, bought a £350,000 home on land that belonged to Reeves’ mother.

Reeves and Myles, would go there nearly every day to tend their horses Monaco and Dior.

They both live in the nearby coastal resort of Whitstable,

The couple were subjected to a tirade of verbal abuse from both the mother and daughter.

On one occasion Reeves drove a car towards Mr Shires, 36, in an aggressive manner that made him fear for his life.

According to the Daily Mail, magistrates’ chairman Robert Scrase told the women:

“Michael and Shires moved into the property to enjoy the idyllic country lifestyle.

“It is clear to us that their quality of life and hopes for the future have deteriorated.”

Reeves has said that she will appeal against her sentence but was denied bail by Canterbury magistrates on Thursday.

Myles was given a two-year supervision order and told to pay £625 costs.

Speaking after the sentence Mr Harris told Kent Online: “I am just so relieved.”

Reeves and Myles must not contact either victim in any way or enter the parish boundary west of the A2 road.

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