In August 2001 Janet Glover, of Marsh Drive, Kibworth Harcourt, pleaded guilty at Harborough Magistrates’ Court to damaging flowers and removing a vase from the grave of Joan and Rex Nibloe’s son Steven, who had died 14 years earlier.

She was given a three-year restraining order from intefering with the grave and a £500 fine.

Now, almost seven years on, after Glover was again prosecuted for damaging property belonging to the Nibloe family – this time by scratching their son Paul’s Volvo – the couple say they hope to finally put the ordeal behind them.

At Harborough Court on Thursday Glover was found guilty of causing criminal damage to the car during an incident in the car park of Kibworth’s Co-op store on October 9 last year.

Richard Meadows, prosecuting, showed magistrates CCTV footage of Glover driving into the car park followed by Helen Rolleston, who was driving her partner Paul Nibloe’s Volvo.

The footage then showed Glover leaving the shop and walking up to the Volvo before leaving in her own car, which was parked some distance away.

Mr Meadows said Glover had walked along the passenger side of the Volvo, scratching it with her car keys and causing about £700 damage.

Glover, a former childminder, denied scratching the car, saying she had walked over to it because she thought she had seen a BMW belonging to her friend on the other side of the car park.

The court heard Glover had been been caught desecrating Steven Nibloe’s grave in 2001 after police installed hidden surveillance cameras in the graveyard.

Cross-examining Glover, Mr Meadows said: “Your luck has run out again hasn’t it? Last time you were caught on CCTV and it has happened again.”

Magistrates handed Glover a three-year conditional discharge and ordered she pay £700 compensation and £200 court costs.

Speaking after the trial, Mrs Nibloe, of Langton Road, said she believes the vendetta stems from a dispute with Glover over a manhole cover which was damaged by a recovery vehicle belonging to her husband about 11 years ago.

But the family remain mystified as to why that would have caused Glover’s actions.

She added: “What she did to our son’s grave, it was heartbreaking. It’s bad enough losing a son without having someone doing something as vindictive as that. For her to then pick on Helen and Paul is just unbelievable.

“Both of us are over the moon that she has got what she deserved.

“We are hoping it will be the final conclusion this time. She made our lives absolute hell and nobody really knows why.”