A DEAD rat with a severed head was dumped on a patio by Sandra Scrivener after she turned up at a village home with a kitchen knife. The rat s body was hanging on the handle of David Barnett s French windows, its head was on the patio, and the dead animal

A DEAD rat with a severed head was dumped on a patio by Sandra Scrivener after she turned up at a village home with a kitchen knife.

The rat's body was hanging on the handle of David Barnett's French windows, its head was on the patio, and the dead animal's blood was smeared across the glass.

Mr Barnett believed that Scrivener had been making threats to kill him. "He felt scared, distressed and harassed by her actions," Ely magistrates were told on Thursday.

Scrivener, of Mepal Road, Sutton, had admitted possessing a knife at The Southerns in Sutton, and causing damage to the patio window.

After reading various documents - including a psychiatric report - the court gave Scrivener a 24-month community order with six-month's of alcohol treatment. She was ordered to pay £50 compensation and £25 costs.

Prosecuting, Giles Beaumont told how Mr Barnett had been awoken from a nap on the sofa on May 18 by some tapping on his French windows, and he opened the curtains to see Scrivener outside.

"She was holding a kitchen knife with a 30cm blade in her left hand, she was waving it up and down in a vertical movement," he said.

"He was getting scared and could see her mouthing something at him. He could not hear her, but believes she was mouthing "I am going to kill you," and he called the police."

Afterwards, Mr Barnett was perturbed to find the decapitated rat outside.

"He saw letters smeared on the French window in blood from the rat, and hair from the rat was stuck to the window."

Scrivener had earlier accused Mr Barnett of stealing a dog, but he claimed to have obtained the animal from a dog's home.

Solicitor Jeremy Kendall said Scrivener could be described as "a little bit of an outsider."

Scrivener had been diagnosed with a personality disorder, and suffered from a sense of isolation.

"If she had not been drinking that night, she would not have gone to the house and this would not have happened," he said. "Her use of cannabis takes away some of the anger she feels, which can get the better of her.