POLICE were called to a block of flats in Hereford after residents heard an "explosive bang", a court has been told.

Claire Fry admitted one count of criminal damage to property valued under £5,000 when she appeared before magistrates in Hereford in December.

Another resident at the block of flats Fry lives in had called police after hearing an 'explosive bang' at around 10am on October 20, prosecutor Eleanor Peart said.

Fry had damaged three window panels, in a door in a communal part of the building, the court had, leaving glass all over the floor.

"The resident said he was very frightened," Miss Peart said.

"There are vulnerable people living in these flats, and when police came, they found the defendant very distressed. She told them she did not want to be there."

Miss Peart said there had been little or no planning to the offence, and that it appeared to have been committed on impulse.

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Chris Read, for Fry, said the 56-year-old has a history of mental health problems and had suffered three bereavements in three months.

"She was under extreme stress," he said.

"Unfortunately she seems to have lost contact with the agencies that I would normally expect to be helping people like her. She has managed to retain a place with her GP, but is not allowed in the surgery and only has telephone contact.

"She is struggling massively and is extremely lonely, and she hates where she lives. If ever there was a cry for help, this is it."

Fry, who is of Walmer Street, Hereford, was fined £120 for the offence and ordered to pay compensation of £200 to Stonewater Housing. She must also pay a contribution to prosecution costs of £35 and a £48 victim surcharge.

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