A "NEIGHBOUR from hell" who racially abused an Asian family has been given a two-year probation order.

Stephanie Davis, who was evicted from her Worcester council home after making neighbours' lives a misery, had admitted racial abuse against Bashir Multani and his family at a previous hearing.

She was also ordered to pay £120 costs.

Tony Glaze, prosecuting at Worcester Magistrates' Court yesterday, told how the incident happened on Saturday, November 13, last year in Vigornia Avenue, near Rainbow Hill.

"Mr Multani had family visiting and some of them were outside looking at a parked car which had a headlight problem and she began swearing at them," said Mr Glaze.

He said Davis, a 27-year-old mother-of-five, had a group of others with her and members of the Multani family felt threatened by the behaviour.

"She was heard to say something along the lines of 'we have got the petrol, burn them," he added.

Nick Roberts, defending, said the incident had happened at a difficult time in his client's life when she was befriending some people who were having an adverse influence on her.

"In this incident she got swept along and regrets what was said," said Mr Roberts.

"She is ashamed as she is of mixed racial origin."

Mr Roberts added Davis vehemently denied she had ever made any threats about using petrol.

Initially the case had gone to trial, but Davis changed her not guilty plea after hearing evidence from the Multani family.

Davis, who now lives in private accommodation in Bath Road, Worcester, became the first city council tenant to be evicted when she was ordered to leave Vigornia Avenue in July this year.

Neighbours said she abused them, poured paint over a car, bombarded another with hoax calls and threatened those who challenged her. Complaints had also been made against her when she lived at a previous address in the city.