Susan Spottiswood: Epping mum threatens neighbour over noisy cat

A neighbourhood war of words escalated when this Epping woman threatened to feed her neighbour’s cat to her dogs.

Susan Spottiswood threatened to feed her neighbour’s cat to her dogs.

An enraged Epping woman who threatened to feed her neighbour’s cat to her dogs was later found to be hoarding weapons and a hefty amount of drugs.

Susan Spottiswood, 43, fronted Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, facing charges including possessing cannabis, prohibited weapons and using threatening words in a public place.

Spottiswood made terrifying threats to her neighbour on September 18 following an ongoing dispute about his cat.

The court heard the neighbour had installed a cat run in his backyard in July 2020, leading to meowing noises disturbing Spottiswood throughout the night.

Susan Spottiswood threatened to bash her neighbour.

She complained to the council in August, who gave the neighbours cat traps after discovering the noise was coming from other cats visiting the cat run.

But the dispute grew, with Spottiswood yelling threats at the neighbour between their front yards on September 18.

The court heard she told him, “I’m going to bash your head in” and “I’m going to feed your cat to my dogs” before her family forced her back into the house.

The entire exchange was caught on CCTV.

Just months earlier, in March, police had raided her home and found cannabis, two extendible batons, a slingshot, a double-sided knife and a stolen number plate in her bedroom.

A stolen Volkswagen with altered number plates was parked on her front lawn.

Spottiswood was then found with more drugs and weapons when police raided the house again on February 12 this year.

They discovered 415g of cannabis, an imitation firearm, ammunition and slingshot pellets.

The court heard the mum of three grown up children, who formerly worked in the security industry, was a PTSD sufferer following a traumatic upbringing.

Her lawyer told the court Spottiswood had the cannabis for personal use, causing Magistrate Helen Murphy to question why she had so much of it.

Ms Murphy said the crimes were too serious for an adjourned undertaking, as Spottiswood’s lawyer pushed for.

Spottiswood was sentenced to a nine-month corrections order with treatment and rehabilitation for mental health/drug use.