A CHANCE meeting between a north Cumbrian woman and her partner’s ex led to an ugly confrontation on a residential street.

The meeting on Lightfoot Drive in Harraby led to hair pulling and swearing between 35-year-old Ana Lapa and the other woman, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

Lapa, formerly of Charles Street, Carlisle, admitted a public order offence.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke said the defendant was originally charged with a more serious offence but her guilty plea to the less serious offence was accepted.

The barrister said the background was a history of conflict between Lapa and the other woman, who was the defendant’s partner's ex partner.

On September 28, 2022, Lapa was driving along Lightfoot Drive and spotted the other woman and immediately stopped and went to the woman to speak to her. “They were arguing about the situation,” said Mr Burke.

“There was hair pulling and swearing.” That was the extent of the bad behaviour, added Mr Burke.

Andrew Evans, defending, said that Lapa was today a very different person to who she was 18 months again when she committed the offence. She now had a job at a holiday business and took pride in her work.

She was also living outside of Carlisle. Lapa was also now facing the trauma of her father, who lives in Blackburn, being terminally ill and she would have to cope with that in the weeks ahead.

Judge Nicholas Barker said that the offence involved the defendant remonstrating aggressively with the other woman to the extent that the victim feared violence.

The judge accepted that Lapa contended with mental health difficulties brought about by difficulties she encountered during her early life.

The judge added: “But 18 months have passed, and you have addressed your offending.”

He imposed an 18-month conditional discharge, which means there will be no further sanction provided Lapa commits no further offences in that period.

The judge also imposed a two-year restraining order banning contact with the victim.