Stalker made his ex’s life ‘a living nightmare’ as he followed her ‘every move’

A WOMAN stalked by her former partner when she began a new relationship said she thought he was “watching my every move”.

The victim had her email hacked by Sean Thompson, who also drove past her home and turned up at her workplace.

The 29-year-old, of Holbrook, also bombarded her with messages, one of which creepily asked her if she had just enjoyed the breakfast she had finished.

But days before the defendant was sentenced this week, she wrote a letter saying she no longer wished to support any prosecution against Thompson, the father of her two children.

Jailing him for 20 weeks, suspended for two years, District Judge

Jonathan Taaffe said: “You have made her life a living nightmare for the past four to five months.

“You turned up at her work, you hacked into her emails and persistently caused her problems. It is to her credit she has taken a responsible view in relation to how the future will unfold.

“But you need to respect the view of your former partner and the fact that she does not want a restraining order does not give you the green light to go straight back into her life.”

Daniel Pietryka, prosecuting at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court, said the defendant was in a relationship with the victim for 12 years and that they have two children together. He said that ended in 2019, but the stalking did not begin until last year when she found a new partner.

Mr Pietryka said: “She said he seemed to be watching her every move, he always knew where she was all the time. “He bombarded her with messages, she says he used her [email and internet] log-ins so she had to change numerous passwords.

“He constantly called her on the phone, he would drive past her house, turned up at her workplace and always knew what areas she was going to which frightened her.

“One time she went out for breakfast and immediately afterwards she received a message from him asking if she’d had a nice breakfast.”

Mr Pietryka said Thompson was arrested and interviewed on October 28 last year and made partial admissions about what he had done. He later pleaded guilty to stalking. Annette Thomas, mitigating, said her client has no previous convictions and that the victim did not seek a restraining order.

Mrs Thomas said: “He entered his plea at the earliest opportunity despite not fully accepting the prosecution’s case, as he did not want to cause any more trouble.”

As well as the suspended sentence, Judge Taaffe ordered Thompson to pay £85 costs and a £128 victim surcharge.

You turned up at her work, you hacked into her emails and persistently caused her problems. District Judge Jonathan Taaffe