A row between former friends escalated into unpleasant homophobic abuse as well as a false 999 call to police reporting that the victim was “kicking off” outside one of the perpetrators’ homes.

At the moment Anita Wood claimed her former friend was banging on her door and making threats the woman concerned was actually speaking to police in her own home.

Wood, 59, her son John Wood, 37, and his former girlfriend Natasha Bamforth, 31, were all arrested later that night.

Bradford Crown Court heard that that the friendly relationship between Anita Wood and the victim had soured, and that in May 2021 John Wood and Bamforth had gone to the victim’s address where he used homophobic slurs as well as calling her a “pervert” and a “paedo”.

The following month the duo returned and shouted more abusive comments in a five-minute tirade before running away.

They returned later that evening and made more abusive comments.

Prosecutor Adam Walker said the victim “was put in fear of violence by these three unpleasant events” which came as a result of “a family dispute that’s rumbled on for some time up to this, which can be considered as the culmination”.

The police were called and went to see the victim at her house. As they were taking a statement from her a dispatcher advised that Anita Wood was making a 999 call to say the victim was at that point outside her house threatening to kill her and the other occupants.

In the 999 call, which was played in court, Anita Wood can be heard identifying her former friend by name and claiming she “is kicking off”.

Wood made a second false call later that night claiming the incident was still going on and urging the police to attend her home.

The police left the victim’s home and went to Anita Wood’s address where John Wood “maintained the façade” and berated officers for taking too long to attend. All three were then arrested.

The court heard that Anita Wood had previously pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice, and that both John Wood and Bamforth had pleaded guilty to harassment.

The “appalling” harassment that “erupted” following ill feeling between the former friends was described by Mr Recorder Paul Reid as “extremely unpleasant”.

He added: “This was a very unpleasant offence of its nature, casting totally unjustified aspersions at [the victim] in addition to the suffering that she had already experienced.”

He sentenced Anita Wood, of Haugh Shaw Road, Halifax, to 23 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months plus 15 rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) days, and John Wood, who lives at the same address, to 41 weeks in prison also suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to undertake 15 RAR days as well as a nine-month drug rehabilitation course.

The sentencing of Bamforth, of Spring Lane, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, who is understood to have turned up at court after the hearing had finished, has now been adjourned until Friday.