Councillor suffered ‘vile abuse’ online
A STAPLEFORD councillor says he was subjected to “disgusting” abuse on social media from a troll who has now been jailed.
Natasha Dawn, 43, of Sheridan Court in Stapleford, pleaded guilty to three counts of stalking and was sentenced to three years imprisonment, of which she must serve half before she is released on conditional bail – she can then be recalled to prison if she offends again.
She was jailed at Nottingham Crown Court on yesterday after being sentenced on Friday, when the court was told about her persistent harassment of people she had never met online.
Restraining orders were put in place banning Dawn from ever contacting or referring to a number of her victims on social media in the future, which included actress Daniella Westbrook and Richard Mcrae, who represents the Stapleford ward on Broxtowe Borough Council.
Councillor Mcrae said the first contact he had with Dawn was years ago when she contacted him with concerns about waste being dumped by her home.
After taking pictures and sending them on to the council, Councillor Mcrae then started receiving abuse from the woman about him taking pictures near her flat – abuse which then carried on and became more and more aggressive.
He said: “It just got worse. “She was putting stuff on social media about me and my wife and it started getting really bad. For myself personally, if I do things right I’ll take the praise, and if people disagree with me I’ll take the criticism, but there is a line you don’t cross.
“It became really nasty and personal. I think I had to block 30 different accounts on Facebook, all belonging to her. It carried on for ages and ages.”
Tracey Patterson and her husband Barrington were tormented with a barrage of messages and calls sent to Mrs Patterson’s phone by the defendant.
Mr Patterson helped run a Birmingham homeless charity with his wife and was also subjected to abuse from Dawn, being falsely labelled as a paedophile and a drug user.
Councillor Mcrae reported what was happening to the council and the police to make them aware and eventually learned about what had been happening to the Pattersons, who he had met in Birmingham.
Barrington Patterson and Councillor Mcrae are both former doormen and met when the councillor took food and items over for the homeless in the West Midlands.
“It was more than criticism – it was vile, absolutely disgusting,” he said. “I’m grateful for the sentence she received. I hope it acts as a lesson to other people that are involved in it, because it has been going on for years to many people, that you can go to prison.”
Nottingham Crown Court heard that Dawn messaged Tracey Patterson more than 80 times in one day on some occasions and even asked how her dead mother was on Mother’s Day.
In a victim impact statement, Tracey Patterson told the court: “You didn’t even know me and have never even met me. The pain and misery you have caused me and my family I find difficult to put into words.”
She then told Dawn: “I never want to see or hear from you again.”
Sentencing her, Judge Julie Warburton QC told Dawn: “You made cruel, vicious comments regarding Mrs Patterson’s mother.
“One can’t conceive of a more cruel thing to do to another human being.
“It is clear to me you must have been treating this as a full-time occupation.”
She was also given a restraining order, banning her from contacting or referring to a number of people on social media, which will go on indefinitely.
She is also allowed no more than one account at any given time.
Dawn’s legal representation told the court that she has no recollection of what had happened and suffers from mental health difficulties.
“This is a lonely and possibly damaged woman,” they said.
“Sitting at home, seldom leaving the house and losing herself in this world of social media and any sense of what is right and what is wrong.”
TROLL BOMBARDED HIM WITH ‘NASTY, PERSONAL’ MESSAGES