Teacher’s shock at finding stalker was her pupils’ dad
A WOMAN teacher plagued by unwanted gifts from a stalker for 12 years was stunned to find he was an infatuated neighbour whose children she had taught.
Louise Moore, 51, would receive hand-delivered birthday, Christmas cards and novelty gifts every year.
As she was going through a bitter divorce, she wrongly assumed her former husband was responsible.
But her secret admirer was unmasked as neighbour Raymond Wild, 63, after Mrs Moore caught him red-handed with hidden CCTV cameras.
Stockport magistrates were told Wild, of Furness Vale, Derbyshire, secretly fell for her after she once taught his twins – a son and daughter – maths and piano in 2004.
The court heard that retired telecoms engineer Wild had apologised for upsetting her and admitted he merely “fancied her from afar”.
But he admitted harassment and was ordered to pay her £500 compensation to cover the cost of buying the CCTV equipment.
In a victim impact statement, Mrs Moore said she started living in fear over creepy gifts and cards that regularly popped up on her doorstep. She said: “I came to dread Christmas as I knew that unwanted cards would arrive.
“I have decided to move house because I am so upset by it all.”
Prosecutor Lynne Rogers said: “Mrs Moore had been in a turbulent relationship with her ex-husband and went through a very unfortunate divorce.
“Then she began receiving birthday and Christmas cards, unsigned apart from three ‘x’s’ at the bottom.
“She began to regret when it was her birthday or when it came to Christmas as she knew she would receive a card.
“She was already unnerved by the cards, then began to receive presents too.
“These were novelty gifts but everything she received had music notes on it, as an ode to her career.” The court heard Mrs Moore only vaguely recalled Wild but when he was quizzed by detectives, he admitted sending the gifts and cards.
Wild was also handed a restraining order, banning him from contacting Mrs Moore for two years.
He was also given a 12-month community order and told to do 120 hours unpaid work and pay £170 court costs.