A man sent intimate videos of his ex-girlfriend to her sister and friend as part of his campaign of harassment against her, a court has heard.
Lee Mairs, 40, of Clapgate Crescent, Widnes, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to six charges related to the campaign of harassment. Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, detailed that Mairs subjected his ex-girlfriend to intense harassment for two months after she ended their relationship.
Between April and June last year, Mairs repeatedly called, texted, and threatened the victim, including calling her over 800 times in a two week period. Towards the end of April, Mairs appeared at the victim’s home late at night and banged on her front door while her and her son were home, but her son began filming him so he left.
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The next day, she reported Mairs to the police, and was actually called by the defendant while giving a statement at the station. An officer answered the phone and warned Mairs to stop harassing her, but he continued.
On one occasion he called her over 20 times within two hours and used blocked numbers or changed his phone number in the hope she would answer. Mairs hacked the victims social media account, posting offensive messages on it.
Mairs was arrested and released on bail with conditions not to contact the victim, which he breached in days. In the same time period, Mairs contacted the victim’s friend and attempted to coerce her into getting the victim to drop the charges, saying: “Tell her to stop f***ing about.”
He proceeded to send an indecent video of the victim to her friend and threatened to send it to others. The 40-year-old also contacted the victim’s former partner and claimed she had an STI, and created a new Instagram account to send the victim’s sister an intimate video of her.
Mairs was re-arrested and a non-molestation order was implemented by police, but within two weeks he breached that order by sending threats to the victim in an attempt to get her to drop the charges. Following his release on bail, Mairs told her friend that the victim would “have to try harder to stitch me up”.
He also visited her workplace several times throughout the harassment. In a victim personal statement written by the victim and read by the prosecution, she said: “I feel the whole case has affected my life.
“Every aspect of my life has been impacted by this prolonged campaign of what I can only describe as mental torture.” She detailed that she had a breakdown and suffers from panic attacks as a direct result of the harassment.
She added: “I live life on the edge thinking maybe today is the day the video will resurface. I did not ever think that my private videos would ever be shared online.
“If not for my children, I would not have survived the catalogue of abuse, I hope he understands the profound impact this has had on my whole life.”
Mairs was charged with one count of stalking, one count of sending an offensive or indecent message by public communication, three counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress, and one count of witness intimidation.
Peter White, defending, said his client cannot explain his behaviour, other than he became infatuated with the victim. He said: “He was infatuated with her, she ended it and he took it extremely badly and acted in this abhorrent manner unfortunately.”
Mr White explained that Mairs has rekindled his relationship with his previous long term partner, and has not contacted the victim since these proceedings began. In sentencing, Recorder David Knifton KC said: “You subjected her to the most appalling and prolonged campaign of harassment and abuse over three months.
“There were constant unwanted calls and messages both to her personal phone and to her place of work.” He added: “The effects of all that upon her cannot be overstated, she has suffered very serious psychological distress.
“Not only that, but your conduct has had a significant effect on her family.” Mairs was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment and a lifetime restraining order was implemented barring him from contacting the victim.
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