Imagine living next door to someone who’s not just difficult—but dangerous.
That’s the nightmare one family in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire says they’ve endured for years.
And even after their neighbour launched a vicious late-night spade attack, they’re still afraid she could come back to “finish the job.”
44-year-old Catherine ‘Cat’ Lloyd, a mother of three, avoided jail despite admitting to grievous bodily harm.
Her neighbours say that decision has left them more terrified than ever.
A Brutal Surprise Attack in a Narrow Alley
On the night of May 14, 2023, a man in his 20s was walking through the alleyway between their homes when Lloyd suddenly emerged from behind her gate.
With a spade in hand, she struck him over the head, leaving a deep wound that needed hospital treatment.
Newly released CCTV footage also shows what happened next.
Moments after the spade attack, Lloyd called her ex-boyfriend, who arrived with a wooden bat and joined in the assault.
He also attacked the victim’s mother while the young man, still bleeding, tried to recover.
The Campaign of Abuse That Started It All
But this wasn’t a one-off. The victim’s grandparents-in-law, who’ve lived next to Lloyd since she moved in back in 2019, say this violence was the result of a three-year-long hate campaign—and it started with something as minor as a letter.
Back in May 2020, Lloyd dropped a note through their door, accusing them of leaving roof tiles and tree clippings in her garden.
When the couple tried to talk things out reasonably, Lloyd escalated things instead.
They explained, “It wasn’t a dispute. It was harassment. She just turned on us and it never stopped.”
Middle-of-the-Night Threats and False Accusations
From that point on, things spiraled. Lloyd reportedly screamed death threats at 1am, hurled bricks into their garden, and posted their faces online, calling them paedophiles and murderers.
The family had to install security cameras just to feel safe in their own home.
“We didn’t dare use our back gate for almost two years,” one said.
In one incident in 2021, she allegedly pushed the grandmother off her bicycle.
In another, in July 2022, she threw bricks into the granddaughter’s garden during a family BBQ.
Despite police visits and complaints, there wasn’t enough evidence for charges—until the spade attack changed everything.
The Attack That Could Have Been Fatal
On April 18, 2023, a month before the assault, Lloyd was caught on camera shouting a chilling warning:
“Do you have a preference? I’ve got a spade, I’ve got garden shears or I’ve got a rake.”
Then, on May 14, she made good on the threat.
“She was hiding behind the gate, waiting,” said one witness.
“She lunged at him. If she had hit him with the edge of the spade instead of the flat, he wouldn’t be here today.”
The Violence Didn’t End with the Spade
What’s even more shocking is what followed. CCTV shows Lloyd calling her ex-partner Aaron Hockey, who showed up moments later with a bat.
He pushed around the victim’s mother and then hit the young man again, right on his injured head.
Hockey was later given a suspended sentence—nine months behind bars, suspended for two years—after pleading guilty to assault, affray, and weapon possession.
Despite Conviction, the Family Says Justice Wasn’t Served
Lloyd eventually pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm without intent and was sentenced to 10 months in jail on July 31, 2025.
But due to time already served, she walked free.
The victim’s family says they feel completely let down. “We had all the evidence, years of it.
What kind of justice is this? She’s not even behind bars.”
They’ve since installed an iron gate in the alley for protection.
“She’s still got the keys. Until the bailiffs come, she could walk back anytime.”
A Troubled Woman or a Calculated Threat?
While one neighbour described Lloyd as kind and helpful—someone who once cooked Christmas dinner and helped with shopping—others say the woman who once seemed friendly completely changed.
“She cut herself off and turned into someone else entirely.
I think mental health problems played a big part,” one neighbour said.
But the victims next door feel no sympathy. “She used lies and false accusations to fuel violence.
Calling us paedophiles was beyond vile. And now she’s free. We’re scared all over again.”
Police Condemn the Violence, But Questions Remain
Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd Davis said the behaviour was completely unacceptable, stressing that “violence is never the answer.”
He hopes the family can now move on.
But with Lloyd free and the trauma still fresh, her neighbours say that moving on feels impossible.
“There’s a restraining order, sure,” one said. “But that didn’t stop her before. What’s stopping her now?”