A man let himself into his ex’s home while she was on holiday and took pictures of the rooms during a chilling campaign of stalking against her.
Peter Wilson, 48, also regularly drove past her home and used her own CCTV system to watch footage of her during the ordeal which lasted several weeks between July and September last year.
Whilst he also sent a series of harassing and insulting emails and texts to the woman’s new partner who he had never met Wilson, from Merseyside, avoided going immediately to prison after magistrates decided to impose a suspended sentence, the Liverpool Echo reports.
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He and his ex were in a relationship for an extended period but it ended last summer, Angela Conlan, prosecuting told magistrates.
A short period later she started to notice him driving past her home and started to suspect Wilson, who has a background in computer science, was gaining access to her Whatsapp and was watching her on her home CCTV system - which he installed. She became increasingly suspicious he was targeting her and unplugged the cameras - but made a disturbing discovery on her return.
“She went on a summer holiday. Before leaving the house, she locked all the windows and doors" Ms Conlan said. "When she returned she said the CCTV had been plugged back in.”
She then started receiving emails from fake addresses containing pictures of her home. Wilson, from Eccleston in St Helen's, then began to forward her the emails, saying they had been forwarded to him from the account and expressing concerns for her welfare, despite it being him all along.
The woman’s new partner also received a series of emails from Wilson. Paul Potter, defending, said Wilson quickly admitted what he had done when questioned by police.
This included him confirming the woman’s suspicions that he had watched her on her CCTV. “He admitted that in interview, he admitted the other offences in interview. In fact, he admitted everything in interview" Mr Potter said.
The woman said in police statements that Wilson's behaviour was worrying - but in a statement to the court months after the behaviour had stopped she said it had not continued to impact her in a substantial way.
Wilson, of Chelford Road was handed a 12 week prison term, suspended for two years, for the stalking of his ex. Magistrates also insisted he must complete a series of rehabilitation activities and pay £500 in compensation. For the harassment of the woman’s partner, he must undertake unpaid work. A restraining order prevents him from contacting either of them.
