Clifton Beach woman Elizabeth Anne Sheean, 66, stalked neighbours, hung bucket of rotting fish near window

A Cairns woman hung a bucket of rotting fish near her neighbours’ kitchen window as part of a series of aggressions “unlike anything” seen by a magistrate. See the confronting pictures.

Elizabeth Anne Sheean (middle) leaving court after she was sentenced for stalking and common assault.

A Clifton Beach woman who hung a bucket of rotting fish near her neighbours’ kitchen window as part of a series of aggressions “unlike anything” seen by a seasoned magistrate has been sentenced for stalking and common assault.

After first taking the matter to a hearing earlier this year, Elizabeth Anne Sheean, 66, pleaded guilty to the two charges in the Cairns Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The court heard of a series of incidents involving Sheean and her neighbours Brett Chapman and his partner Helen O’Hara over the course of 14 months between August 2021 and October 2022.

It was the result of Sheean’s “perceived grievance” with the couple, over what she claimed was excessive noise and problems with their pet cat, the court heard.

On one occasion, Sheean hung a bucket of rotting fish from the fence of her property, next to the couple’s kitchen window.

A photo of the bucket of rotting fish and eggs placed on a stepladder on the property fence line. Picture: Supplied

Several months later, Ms Sheean had placed an image of an “evil nun” from the movie The Conjuring on her laundry window directly facing the couple’s house.

Mr Chapman said the poster stayed there for over a year – right up until the week Sheean had to front court earlier this year.

“She knew my wife was religious and would be very upset by this. She had been calling us evil for quite some time,” Mr Chapman later said.

Sheean had initially appeared in court for trial in March this year and pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Kevin Priestly said he found her conduct “self-righteous”, and “lacking insight” and advised her to take legal advice.

When Sheean reappeared in court on Thursday she changed her plea to guilty.

Her lawyer Jacqueline O’Reilly told the court her client had seen “the folly of her actions”.

Elizabeth Anne Sheean (middle) leaving court after she was sentenced for stalking and common assault.

Clifton Beach resident Brett Chapman said Onyx St neighbour Elizabeth Sheean put 'evil nun' pictures up facing his house and had floodlights aimed directly at their house. PIcture: Supplied

She said she hoped the couple “die from cancer” and repeatedly called them “evil”.

Sheean sent them a letter telling them she had previously engaged “one of the best defamation lawyers” to get a $15,000 settlement from a body corporate director for spreading “false information”.

Ms O’Reilly told the court her client’s “behaviour was out of character for her, and she worked herself up into a state of frenzy with her perceived grievance with her neighbour”.

She said a client was “a 66-year-old of a high class, highly academic background, with no criminal record and now falls at her age to be found guilty of stalking and assault”.

Sheean had a small group of supporters in the courtroom.

The common assault charge stemmed from a time when she hit the phone out of Mr Chapman’s hand when he was filming her on the street.

“My client became more and more incensed by a perceived lack of consideration from her neighbours, and her behaviour became increasingly irrational,” Ms O’Reilly argued.

The court heard that Ms O’Hara had told prosecutors that Sheean’s offences “had changed her life”.

Mr Priestly said Sheean’s actions were unlike “any behaviour he had seen before”.

However, he said: “I believe the defendant is of good character except for what happened during these 14 months.”

He sentenced her to three years probation, ordered her to have no contact with the couple, and she promised to undertake any courses or programs suggested by probation.

Mr Chapman said he was “very disappointed” with the Magistrate’s decision.

“My wife had to start seeing a doctor and taking medication because of (Sheean’s conduct).”

Sheean declined to comment outside court.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly made reference to Sheean making more than 300 phone calls to Mr Chapman and Ms O’Hara. That paragraph has been removed and the Cairns Post apologises for the mistake.

Originally published as Clifton Beach woman Elizabeth Anne Sheean, 66, stalked neighbours, hung bucket of rotting fish near window