A mother who led a campaign of hatred against two gay neighbours has had her jail sentence cut.

Karen Reeves, 44, from The Halt, Whitstable, had been sent to prison for 150 days by magistrates in April.

Her first appeal against the jail term was dismissed, but in an unusual step, a judge at Canterbury Crown Court allowed a second hearing.

This time, barrister David Geller persuaded the judge and a magistrate to reduce the jail term to three months.

Reeves and one of her daughters had been convicted of harassing a homosexual couple at Kingston during a seven month period, which left one of the men needing psychiatric treatment.

Mr Geller argued that this was Reeves' first jail sentence and she had shown “victim empathy” since the incidents.

He told Canterbury Crown Court that a five -year restraining order was now in place banning her from going near Kingston or contacting her victims.

Mr Geller said she had been involved in church activity and voluntary work at school and her “despicable behaviour was rather bizarre.”

“She accepts her guilt and her remorse is genuine and the magistrates’ sentence was severe,” he added.

Judge Adele Williams told Reeves: “This was serious. It amounted to a campaign of homophobic harassment of a particularly obscene nature.

“You contested this matter but have since expressed some remorse.”

She cut the 150 day sentence to three months.