Stalker is jailed for ‘hellish’ three-year vendetta
A STALKER who forced a cancer nurse to prove to social workers that her baby was stillborn after claiming the grieving mother had killed her has been jailed.
Carolyn Fowkes targeted a family and bombarded them with death threats in a hate campaign lasting more than three years.
It followed a rift with her friend Nuala Rees which began at college in Coventry 15 years ago.
Fowkes, 39, started a vendetta against 39-year-old Mrs Rees, her three sisters and their mother, Tina Robinson.
Glasgow Sheriff Court heard one sister, Paula McKervey, 43, had to prove to officials she had a stillborn baby after Fowkes made false reports she had killed the girl, who had been named Poppy.
The court also heard that Fowkes had Mrs Robinson suspended for allegedly abusing residents in a care home she worked at. The 60year-old was later cleared. Fowkes created false Facebook accounts including accounts in the names of Mrs Rees, her sister Geraldine Green and their mother before sending vile messages.
Fowkes, of Royston, Glasgow, admitted ‘engaging in a course of conduct which caused Nuala Rees fear or alarm’ between August 2012 and December 2015.
Jailing her for 18 months yesterday, Sheriff John McCormick said: ‘This was a well-planned, deliberate and sustained course of conduct.’ Fowkes was also handed a five-year non-harassment order preventing her from contacting Mrs Rees or any of her family.
Speaking after the sentencing Mrs McKervey said: ‘I feel glad that someone finally listened to us and that it’s over now. It was three years of constant hell.’
Procurator fiscal depute Louise MacNeil told the court the camfor
‘Such a horrible human being’
paign began in the form of letters and moved on to social media.
A number of messages sent to Mrs Rees and her family were read to the court. In January 2013, Mrs McKervey received a letter saying: ‘I hate your sister. I’d go to prison murdering your sister and you. I will get you both for what she did and then I will murder your sons and her son.’
Mrs McKervey said: ‘She reported us to social services saying we’d beaten our children.’
The nurse had further heartache when she had to prove her stillborn girl had not been harmed by her as claimed by Fowkes.
She said: ‘She told social services I killed the baby and I had to prove she was stillborn. I was heartbroken. It was awful. She’s such a horrible human being.’
Defence solicitor Iain Bradley said Fowkes has problems with her health and is unemployed.