In the summer of 1677, Elspeth Chousley became the target of a violent extrajudicial campaign in the Haddingtonshire town of Prestonpans. A group of local individuals forcibly breached her home, causing significant property damage and looting her possessions before placing her under unlawful imprisonment. During her confinement, her captors employed a professional "pricker"—a figure often hired to identify witches through physical examination—and subjected three other individuals to torture in a concerted effort to coerce them into denouncing Elspeth. Ultimately, she secured her liberty only after paying a ransom to her tormentors, though this release did not bring an end to her ordeal.
The following year, in the summer of 1678, the same group renewed their assault on her home, this time escalating their violence by brandishing swords and pistols against her. Despite the gravity of the attack, official intervention remained absent; notably, the local baillie was intoxicated at the time of the incident. By September 1679, however, the legal tide shifted as a trial was held in Haddington to address these abuses. Five witnesses testified to the history of hamsucken, robbery, and physical battery perpetrated against her. Consequently, the court deserted the diet against Elspeth, effectively closing the case against her while simultaneously prosecuting her tormentors for their illegal conduct and the torture she had endured.