Dad and daughter jailed for killing neighbour after she burst child's football

A father and daughter have been jailed for seven years after they launched a fatal attack on a neighbour who burst a child's football.

Kelly Machin, from Leicester, had punctured the ball with a knife on 23 August 2016 after becoming annoyed by balls landing in her back garden amid weeks of complaints.

Natalie Bollen, who lived two doors away and had argued with Machin on numerous previous occasions, attacked the 34-year-old in her home with her father. Machin died two weeks later.

Bollen, 28, and William Jelly, 48, were convicted of manslaughter last month at Leicester Crown Court with Judge Nicholas Dean QC saying that they have not shown "any remorse" for causing the woman's death.

The court heard how the victim had called police saying that she feared for her life when Bollen, turned up outside her home, with several other people, shouting, "Come out, Kelly!".

At one point Bollen banged on her door, swearing and shouting: "You might not come out now, Kelly, but I'm gonna kill you!".

Then around 20 minutes later Bollen returned with Jelly and the pair barged into the house.

It was then that Bollen punched Machin about three times to the head while Jelly then punched or pushed her to the ground. But Machin landed on a coffee table and she fractured five ribs.

Judge Dean said, according to the BBC: "After these events you, Natalie Bollen, sought to protect your father knowing he had been responsible for pushing over Kelly Machin - you denied he had been present.

"You also seemed to have been pleased with what you and your father had done, boasting in messages that you had assaulted Kelly Machin."

Machin called 999 and was seen by paramedics but not admitted into hospital. The pain continued and went to hospital on 29 August where she had a CT scan.

It was stated that doctors wanted to perform an operation to stop internal bleeding but Kelly was worried about that option, and an operation was not undertaken.

Machin's dead body was discovered on her sofa on 5 September, after she died on 3 or 4 September, when 1.9 litres of blood accumulated around her heart, which then stopped working.

Judge Dean added: "After Kelly Machin's death you, Natalie Bollen, responded to a text message in an almost triumphant way; 'Yep, dead and gone'."