Guilty, the WPC who stalked a married man on Internet
A POLICE officer who became ‘fixated’ with a married man hacked his social media accounts and posted slurs about his wife, a court heard yesterday.
Ashley Boyd, 26, developed an obsession with Kevin O’Connor, who is married to her former friend, and sent messages to his pals, pretending to be him, about his ‘unhappy marriage’.
She even cancelled a hospital appointment for his wife Rhona by pretending to be her.
Boyd changed his relationship status on Facebook to ‘single’ and posted an offensive comment about his wife on his Twitter account, posing as him.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday, Boyd, of Moodiesburn, Lanarkshire, pled guilty to ‘engaging in a course of conduct which caused Rhona and Kevin O’Connor fear and alarm’ by stalking, from June to September last year.
She also admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The court heard there was ‘absolutely no romantic or sexual relationship’ between Mr O’Connor and Boyd. Prosecutor Andrew Beadsworth said: ‘Boyd appears to have become fixated upon Kevin O’Connor.’
Mrs O’Connor and Boyd became friends when they worked in Boots, but the friendship had deteriorated by the end of 2013.
Boyd resigned in March 2015 and joined Police Scotland later that year. She resigned from the force in December 2016.
In January 2014, while serving Mr O’Connor at Boots, Boyd told him she knew his wife and hinted a number of women in the shop ‘fancied’ him. They used the same gym and Boyd told a friend she had a ‘fancy for him’ and went to the gym knowing he would be there.
In 2016, the O’Connors were on holiday when his sister texted him to say his Facebook page had been changed to say he was single.
He also received a text from a colleague saying she had a ‘strange’ conversation on Facebook. The woman claimed Mr O’Connor told her he was unhappy in his marriage and asked if it was him she had been speaking to.
Mr Beadsworth said: ‘Mr O’Connor was concerned and angry. Efforts by him to delete the Facebook account were unsuccessful because Boyd had changed the password.’
Back at home, Mr O’Connor examined all his social media and discovered his email account appeared to have been hacked.
He noted the IP address used to gain access to his Facebook and also saw his Twitter account had been hacked days earlier.
An offensive tweet with slurs including ‘wouldn’t want to go near that’ and the hashtag ‘wife’ was posted.
He then contacted the police about the matter.
Mr Beadsworth said: ‘The comment was posted next to several pictures of a television character whom it was assumed was meant to be Mrs O’Connor.’
The court heard he was ‘upset and angry’ and his colleagues were ‘also angered by the deception’.
Police investigated the IP address used to access the Facebook account, which led to Boyd’s mobile number.
Last September, Mr O’Connor took his wife to Glasgow Royal Infirmary for an appointment.
Mr Beadsworth said: ‘They were told Mrs O’Connor’s appointment had been cancelled by the patient. Mrs O’Connor stated she did not cancel the appointment.
‘Mrs O’Connor was anxious and upset by what had happened.’
Investigations revealed Boyd had phoned the hospital twice, claiming to be Mrs O’Connor.
Boyd persuaded a friend to make a statement to police saying she posted the offensive tweet because it would be ‘devastating for her’ because of her job.
But the friend later admitted the statement was false.
A search warrant was granted, Boyd’s phones were examined and an incriminating text message discovered.
She made no comment to almost all questions during a police interview and replied ‘No’ to each charge when cautioned and charged in November 2016.
Sentence was deferred until next month and her bail was continued.
But Sheriff Paul Crozier told her: ‘Do not take that as any indication whatsoever what might happen to you in due course.’
The O’Connors did not wish to comment last night.
‘She had a fancy for him’