A jilted mum embarked on a foul-mouthed hate campaign after discovering her partner was expecting a child with her next-door neighbour. Claire Boardman, 44, sent vile texts to 29 year-old former Manchester beauty queen Chloe Douglas-Riley when her boyfriend, Stuart Jones, 33, moved in with her.
In a series of messages, Boardman called bar manager Ms Douglas-Riley a 'bitch', a 'slag' and a 'c*nt' - adding: "I'm going to f*** you up. I'm going to kick the s*** out of you."
A court heard she added: "You are f***ed and thick. You are being watched now. If I start on you I will not finish. You have f***ed my life up, you are going to pay for this. You are f***ed." She was eventually arrested after Ms Douglas-Riley, a Miss Manchester finalist in 2015, told police Boardman had threatened her with an axe in her back garden, alleging she said: "I am going to kill you with this."
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At Stockport magistrates court, Boardman admitted harassment, but was cleared of making threats with a bladed article and possession of a bladed article in a public place. Ms Douglas-Riley, who also runs a dog walking business and cleaning firm, has since moved away, the court heard.
The court heard Boardman and Ms Douglas-Riley were initially on cordial terms on Queen Street in the village of Bollington, Cheshire, after Ms Douglas-Riley moved there in October 2020. Mr Jones moved in with Boardman the following December.
The court heard he met Ms Douglas-Riley while they were outside by chance in their adjoining gardens.
When news of the affair and subsequent pregnancy broke, Boardman was said to have yelled comments over their adjoining back yard wall, saying 'just you wait, they are coming for you. You are dead. You just wait and see, I've ordered it'.
In another alleged incident on May 31, Boardman was said to have knocked at Ms Douglas-Riley's front door then tried to push her way in, saying: "Let me in or I will kill you."
Later, at 8pm on June 7, Boardman was seen from a bedroom window cutting back bushes in a car park at the back of their houses, swinging an axe while swearing and shouting, the court heard. Ms Douglas-Riley claimed that when she went into her garden 30 minutes later to smoke an e-cigarette, Boardman, who was still in the back chopping at the bushes with the axe, glared at her and threatened her, leading her to call 999.
In her evidence Ms Douglas-Riley said: "I was terrified. I was totally unaware of what her capability was. I did not know her particularly well and I was very worried. Parking and entering and leaving my premises became quite a concern for myself. It has had a negative effect on my mental health which I struggled with and I was also pregnant at the time.
"It was just very difficult. I was scared to leave the house. I did not know what she was capable of doing. Having had a conversation with Stuart himself, and multiple of his friends, I believe that their relationship was not a cohabiting relationship so to speak. But she did not like the fact that he came and started to see me.''
She claimed she had seen Boardman 'toing and froing' as she removed branches from the bushes, shouting and sweating as she was stung by nettles. She then said Boardman saw her and 'glared' before saying: "I will smash your head in. You, you b****."
She told the hearing: ''I was scared for my life. It had been going on for months." In evidence, Boardman said she'd met Mr Jones just before Christmas in 2020 through mutual friends and he had been looking for somewhere to stay.
She said: "I said he could stay in my spare room for a bit and we ended up together. But it was around March that he told me he was leaving and subsequently moved in next door. I found out via a friend of his who said he wanted to end the relationship. I was upset about it but it was his decision. I was hurt and a bit upset that it was in my face everyday.''
Boardman said when her landlady found out Mr Jones was living with her, she was issued with an eviction notice and as a result had been demanding he make a contribution towards his keep.
She added: "I felt used, hurt and angry that I was going to lose my home of many years where I had brought my son up. I admit I was not very nice sending those messages, calling her a slag and other names, but I was angry. I probably did not word them correctly. I was not the kindest but I was getting desperate. I was basically just saying, 'cough up', but I was not getting anywhere with it.
"I was fighting to keep my home and I was shocked when police came up.''
Boardman was conditionally discharged for two years and was ordered to pay 129 in costs and a victim surcharge. Chairman of the bench, Martin Drake, said: "You have accepted wrongdoing and have shown remorse for that. You admit it in open court that what you did was not very pleasant and you were sorry for it. Before this harassment conviction you were a lady of previous good character. We have taken that into account."
An application for a restraining order against Boardman was refused.
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