Judge tosses libel suit in pruning case

MANCHESTER, England, May 4 (UPI) -- A British judge has rejected a woman's claims of libel after she said her neighbors accused her of pruning their bushes without permission.

The decision by Justice David Eady leaves plaintiff Barbara Buckley with more than $150,000 in court fees, The Times of London reported Friday.

Eady ruled that Buckley's complaint against James and Melanie Dalziel was nothing more than an overblown dispute between neighbors. He said the sensationalizing of the dispute had caused "considerable distress and alarming expense to all concerned."

Buckley's complaint dates back to 2005, when she authorized the pruning of plants on the border of her property and the Dalziels' property while the couple was away on vacation. Although Buckley claimed that only branches protruding at least a foot onto her property or blocking the way of a planned fence were cut, the Dalziels were not pleased with the state of their trees when they returned home.

The Dalziels had the Greater Manchester Police arrest Buckley, but the Crown Prosecution Service declined to file charges. Buckley then filed her libel and slander suit, claiming the neighbors acted maliciously by having her arrested.