Beatles' inspiration has home demolished

LONDON, May 18 (UPI) -- Melanie Coe, who inspired the Beatles' hit "She's Leaving Home," says she has been forced to demolish her home in Spain.

The Mail on Sunday said Coe, 58, whose decision to run away from her London home at age 17 inspired the Beatles classic, has been accused of illegally building her residence on protected parkland in Spain.

Coe said the real estate mix-up led to her being threatened with a fine of more than $250,000 and a potential 18-month prison sentence. Ultimately she was forced to tear down the house to solve the problem.

"I've always lived life to the hilt. I have never played safe," Coe said. "But having to demolish my house is the most stressful thing I've ever known."

Meanwhile, Coe told the Mail Beatles star Paul McCartney was likely inspired to write "Home" after reading about her teenage escapes in the newspaper.

"Something probably clicked in Paul's mind when he read the story about me running away from home three years later, as it was pretty unusual back then," she said of her brush with fame.