Cleared of stalking
Trial is told of affair and lavish gifts
A married sugar daddy businessman who lavished gifts on his lover after a brief affair in 2009 has been cleared of stalking her for more than seven years.
Patrick Bradley (72) renovated three homes and bought diamond jewellery and several cars for Sheila McKenzie (56).
A married sugar daddy businessman who lavished gifts on his lover after a brief affair in 2009 has been cleared of stalking her for more than seven years.
Former accountant and haulage contractor Patrick Bradley (72) renovated three homes and bought diamond jewellery and several cars for Sheila McKenzie (56).
Bradley admitted falling in love with the hospital worker after having sex with her twice a decade ago and he continued to spend tens of thousands of pounds on her.
He told Perth Sheriff Court that he was a wealthy and generous man who had once written a single cheque for his sister for £375,000.
But Mrs McKenzie - who had known Bradley as a family friend since 1993 said she was ashamed of her affair and had tried without success to break off contact with him.
During two days of evidence, she said Bradley had paid her mortgage for a period, given members of her family jobs and bought her expensive jewellery and three cars.
She said: “He wouldn’t take any payment for any of them. There’s offering support, and then there’s taking over.” She said Bradley spent £2000 on her for her 50th birthday.
Bradley said he had paid for extensive renovations and told the court the invoices added up to more than £50,000 pounds.
When she told him in 2017 that she was in a new relationship with William Chalmers, Bradley dubbed him ‘The Fat Mechanic’ and tried to investigate his financial status.
Bradley said: “I was as embarrassed about the affair as she was. I don’t understand what you mean by infatuated. She was great company.”
Asked if he was in love with Mrs McKenzie, he replied: “I would say I was at one point but that was years ago.”
He added: “I’m fairly well off and I had a friend who had next to nothing. I carried out renovations. I thought I would always be welcome in her house.
“She pushed me away just as I finished the renovations. I feel - rightly or wrongly - I was taken advantage of.”
Bradley, Upper Farrochil, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, was found not guilty after a three-day trial of stalking Mrs McKenzie between 13 December 2010 and 11 May 2018.
He denied phoning and emailing her, leaving unwanted messages at her home, contacting her family and friends and demanding they make her contact him, and threatening to expose their affair.
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown ruled that Bradley had persisted in carrying out the behaviour that he had been accused of. However, she said that while he had caused “discomfort” to Mrs McKenzie she did not think he had satisfied the test of causing her “fear or alarm.”
She found him not guilty but warned him that any future contact with Mrs McKenzie should only be made through solicitors.
In 2010, Bradley was disqualified from being a company director for three years after his company Barhaul (2003) Ltd went into liquidation and failed to pay £270,000 to HMRC.
She pushed me away just as I finished the renovations .... I feel I was taken advantage of