Pensioner who sprayed ant killer into terminally ill neighbour's eyes avoids jail despite robbing him of 'precious' years

From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026 · last updated 22 September 2026.

Sally Beaney, 75, lay in wait for her neighbour Matthew Perry as he left his Southampton home and sprayed ant killer directly into his eyes, leaving him with chemical burns and a corneal injury. Perry, who has late-stage cancer, was told by the court that Beaney had robbed him of "precious" years of his remaining life. Beaney received a 12-month suspended sentence and 100 hours of unpaid work at Southampton Crown Court.

The court heard Beaney was "obsessed to control" and had spent months blocking Perry's parking, filming his family and hurling abuse at them whenever they passed through.

Perry, who has lived at the Southampton property for 15 years with his wife Lucy and their two children, had no other exit from his home when the attack struck.

Beaney was handed an indefinite restraining order but will walk free despite the judge hearing she "revelled in making other people's lives very difficult."