Retired policeman hounded detective

Ex-officer is jailed for two-year campaign

ARETIRED West Midlands police officer, convinced he had been wrongly convicted of assault, carried out a two-year campaign of threats and abuse against a detective constable in the case.

The obsessed officer carried on despite being arrested and told to stop. He left his male victim so distraught he wanted to leave the force.

Antony Hunt, 58, of Court Lane, Erdington, who had previously admitted a charge of stalking with intent to cause fear and distress, was jailed for 16 months.

Siobhan Collins, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said Hunt was a retired police officer who in April 2019 had assaulted his then partner.

She said from that point on the defendant began to personally contact the officer in the case and that over a two-year period he sent him over 200 threatening and abusive emails.

Miss Collins said even after he had been convicted of battery and sentenced to a community order he continued his campaign.

Hunt told the officer that he was a “determined individual” and told him he was going to make a formal complaint about him.

His threats included telling the victim that he would “pay for it” and accused him of being, dishonest and lying and said he was a “corrupt piece of s...t”. He also referred to the police as “clowns” and claimed the officer had committed perjury.

Miss Collins said Hunt also made allegations against other officers and copied in messages to others including MPs.

Other abuse included calling the victim a narcissist and he also told him it was “never going to go away” and that he would “hunt him down”.

Hunt also claimed he was going to take out a private prosecution and demanded the officer be removed from the police force.

As a result of Hunt’s complaints the victim was investigated by the complaints department but was found to have conducted a fair and impartial investigation.

Miss Collins said as a result of the defendant’s conduct the victim had considered leaving the force, changing his name and leaving the country and that he was concerned he would be followed. In a statement he said: “He attacked me for no reason and attacked other people for no reason. This has been three years of insanity.”

In passing sentence, Judge Heidi Kubik QC told Hunt: “In 2019 you assaulted your wife. Since that time rather than accept responsibility for your actions, instead, you tried to place the blame on almost everybody else.

“It became an obsession. It was targeted and determined harassment of the police officer who had responsibility for the investigation into the complaint by your wife.

“Your conduct continued despite the request to stop and after your initial arrest. The impact on the victim is serious indeed. It is clear from his victim impact statement although your conduct stopped some months ago it remains with him.”

The judge said she accepted that the defendant had “fallen low” and was of previous good character. “I accept that your obsession with hounding the victim was entirely irrational.”

Defending Earl Pinnock said: “He was consumed by a belief that an injustice had been wrought upon him.

“He had an entrenched belief that he was right and everybody else was wrong and he mounted a campaign trying to right this perceived wrong.

“This consumed man has now found it within himself to stop contact.”

He said that he had served in the West Midlands force for 22 years and that at the time he had “clearly lost it”.