Karina Chemlal fined $1500 for gluing neighbours’ CCTV cameras in bizarre suburban dispute

A Parmelia woman who claimed her neighbours were filming her with their CCTV cameras has been fined after she took matters into her own hands and glued the cameras into a position away from her home. Karina Nadia Mireille Chemlal, 55, appeared before Rockingham Magistrates Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to one count of damaging property and one count of trespassing. Prosecutor Sgt Shane White told the court that on March 26 about 8.40pm, Chemlal approached her next door neighbours’ home to move cameras that were facing towards her backyard and other private areas. At 9.45pm police attended her address and she was cautioned by police. Sgt White said Chemlal was “rude and aggressive” towards police and refused to reason with them. Legal Aid lawyer Faye Sellers told the court there was an ongoing “complex” and “toxic” relationship between the neighbours, and before the incident her client had made several attempts to reason with them. Ms Sellers said when police had attended the premises, the cameras were redirected away from Chemlal’s home, but soon after their departure, the cameras were re-positioned to again face in to her backyard. This was when Chemlal took matters into her own hands, gluing the cameras away from her backyard with wood glue, Ms Sellers said. “Ms Chemlal had gone back over to the home and had angled them in another direction with some wood glue,” she said. “Ms Chemlal has been trying to sell the home and plans to move back to Queensland, however, she has been told that she won’t be able to given the state of the neighbours’ home.” Ms Sellers said Chemlal had been removing rubbish from along the fence line of the neighbours’ home and there had been no issues with this, however, if she were to sell her home as it stands now, it would be sold at a loss. Magistrate Anne Longden questioned whether the neighbour had received any legal ramifications given Chemlal has been the only person charged. “She’s never been charged with anything,” Chemlal said. Ms Longden said it was a “real worry in that you feel justified to behave in this way” and that “there are other ways to deal with these sorts of issues”. Chemlal was fined $1500 and ordered to pay costs of $264.30.