Model, 60, evicted from beach hut for wild antics loses expensive court battle

A model who bought a beach hut as an escape following a divorce is now facing a hefty bill.

Michele Spicer, 60, bought her ‘mermaid haven’ beach hut in Goring by Sea, West Sussex, in 2020 – but she was taken to court after clashing with the neighbours.

She paid £15,000 for the beach hut, but soon received multiple complaints to the local council over carelessly parking her Mercedes near the hut and playing loud music on the car radio.

As the animosity grew, Ms Spicer became convinced one neighbour in particular was involved in a plot to evict her from her beach hut.

The hut was taken away from her by the council in 2021 – prompting Ms Spicer to begin a ‘revenge campaign’ against the neighbour, which got so bad her victim had to move towns and change jobs.

The victim would put on a hoodie and shades even when going to the corner shop to avoid being spotted, London’s High Court heard.

Ms Spicer’s campaign led to an anti-harrasment injunction, but nevertheless she ‘continued to harass and intimidate’ her former neighbour.

Last week she appeared at the High Court where Judge Richard Pearce, having found her in contempt of court for breaching the injunction, handed Ms Spicer a 24-week jail sentence, suspended for two years.

She was also ordered her to pay her former neighbour’s legal costs – estimated by lawyers at £53,000.

The woman victim cannot be named after being granted anonymity by the judge.

Her barrister, Kate Strange, said the victim – who had been branded a ‘vulture’ in Instagram posts by Ms Spicer – had been driven from the seaside town she loved, ‘ruining’ her life.

‘The harassment complained of by the claimant included verbal abuse, pestering behaviour, intimidation and photographing, and recording of the claimant without her consent,’ said the barrister.

She ended up making 30 complaints to the police, resulting in Ms Spicer being handed two ‘community protection orders’.

But the police action ‘appeared to have no effect’ on Ms Spicer, the court heard, and in July last year the neighbour felt there was ‘no choice but to seek an injunction to curb Ms Spicer’s harassment of her’.

The court order barred Ms Spicer from the waterfront area near her former hut, from contacting or communicating with her victim or visiting the gym she frequents, and from generally ‘harassing or stalking her’.

But despite the injunction, she ‘continued to harass and intimidate the claimant,’ said Ms Strange, leaving her little option but to take Ms Spicer to court for contempt of court.

The case came before Judge Pearce in the High Court last week as Ms Strange applied for Ms Spicer to be jailed for defiance of a court order.

The barrister said Ms Spicer had shown little remorse for her target, adding: ‘My client has had her life ruined by the actions of Ms Spicer.

‘She appears to be motivated by a wish to punish the claimant and to put pressure on her, and to make her life difficult – even unbearable – because she did the unthinkable and complained about her anti-social behaviour.

‘Her conduct has been repetitive, persistent and marked by a desire to cause maximum distress to the claimant.

‘She forced her to change jobs and move home and her mental health has deteriorated significantly.

‘She has chosen to uproot her life and home and job in order to get away from Ms Spicer.’

Ms Spicer admitted a series of breaches of the injunction by posting ‘abusive content’ on her Instagram account.

Her barrister told the judge she is now ‘extremely remorseful,’ also pointing out there had been no physical contact between her and her victim.

Ruling, Judge Pearce said that despite being singled out by Ms Spicer as a key figure in lodging complaints to the council, the victim had acted ‘entirely appropriately in seeking to challenge such anti-social behaviour’.

The loss of her ‘pride and joy’ beach hut had a devastating impact on Ms Spicer, he added, prompting the revenge campaign which ultimately forced her victim to sell her house, move jobs and even don a disguise when doing her groceries.

Eviction from the hut she had dubbed her ‘mermaid haven’ sparked ‘significant aggravation and escalation in Ms Spicer’s behaviour,’ said the judge.

He added: ‘It caused her for whatever reason to pick on the claimant particularly as a target for her conduct hereafter.’

Taking account of Ms Spicer’s fragile mental health, he said he was ‘on a very narrow balance persuaded to suspend this sentence’.

Ms Spicer was the first person to be evicted from a beach hut by Worthing borough council in 25 years.

In earlier interviews, Ms Spicer claimed she had sparked her neighbours’ resentment due to her ‘glamorous’ looks and her Mercedes sports car.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong – but because I model and I have a nice car, they have a certain impression of me,’ she said.

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