Ballroom champion ‘stalked’ his dance partner
Bitter split ‘after she grew jealous of other performers’
A BALLROOM champion hounded his former dancefloor partner on social media and with texts, flowers and cards after a drunken bust-up, a court heard.
Lee Donnelly claimed 21-yearold girlfriend Catherine Tonge was jealous because he was working with other women dance partners.
But a court heard that Donnelly, 36, left pictures of the couple together around their shared rented home. He also put up old Valentine’s cards to ‘remind them’ of their relationship.
She had moved out and was living with her grandparents but would see the cards and pictures when she went back to check on the house, magistrates were told.
Donnelly also allegedly left a CD containing images of them having sex, changed the code on the house alarm so it would be triggered when she entered – and set up a webcam so he could see her reaction.
He would also park near the grandparents’ home and turn up unannounced at her work place at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre where she was front-of-house manager.
Miss Tonge – who had been crowned Nationwide Under21 Lady-Man Latin Champion with Donnelly in 2017 – was left ‘ very scared and threatened’ and called in police. He denied a stalking charge.
Tameside magistrates heard the pair had met at a dance school in Oldham in 2016 and began their romance six months later.
Graduate Miss Tonge told Tameside magistrates: ‘I was wary of what he was taking on and the more partners he took on, the less time he would have for himself and us.
‘He was not always kind and respectful. He has drunken incidents and violence, he can be quite volatile.’
The relationship foundered in June after the couple went to an awards ceremony. Donnelly had started drinking before the event and by the end of it was ‘slurring his words’, she said. She said she was ‘wary’ when he insisted on carrying on drinking at a pub and even took her drink.
On the way home, she said, he ‘belittled me, shouted at me, telling me I am a “little bitch who is only 21, how dare you tell me what to do?”.’
Miss Tonge moved in briefly with a neighbour but rekindled the relationship after he apologised, the court heard.
But she ended it for good a week later and moved in with her grandparents – giving him three weeks to leave the shared home.
‘He is very charismatic but towards the end it was quite emotionally abusive,’ she said. ‘I was becoming a different person because I lost all my confidence.’
Miss Tonge said she asked him to stop sending her messages, but he ignored her. ‘There were text messages and WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram messages. There were missed calls.’
She would check the house daily but was felt ‘very scared’ when she found he had left pictures of them together, Valentine’s cards and the disk with footage of them having sex – taken without consent.
The court heard Donnelly also sent flowers and cards. Left: Miss Tonge and Donnelly at court Miss Tonge’s grandmother, Irene Holland, told the hearing: ‘It has affected her greatly. She’s been depressed.’
Donnelly, of Rochdale, denied wrongdoing and said: ‘Some dance partners had my full attention … and there was a little bit of jealousy.
‘She had me all to herself at the beginning and then we formed a relationship so I think she wanted me to be her exclusive dance partner.’ Donnelly said he had hoped to marry her.
He accepted he had been drunk, saying he ‘didn’t like getting orders’ and added: ‘I said something along the lines of: “You are only f****** 21 years old”.’ He said he didn’t recall calling her a ‘little bitch’ but felt distraught at how he had spoken to her.
Donnelly insisted everything he had done had been ‘ to show my depth of feeling for her’. The case was adjourned until next month.
‘Emotionally abusive’