Mother ‘tried to take blame over stable hand’s appalling stalking campaign against woman who spurned advances’
THE mother of a stable hand tried to take the blame for his elaborate stalking campaign, a court has heard.
Beaumont Bricka, 26, allegedly used a network of fake social media accounts to message Eve Taylor, a make-up artist with whom he was obsessed, in a plot to frame her boyfriend as the stalker.
As well as sending “appalling” messages to Ms Taylor, he sent threats to himself from the fake profiles to look like a “victim” and even tried to get Ms Taylor’s father fired from his job as a doctor, the court was told.
Brent Martin, prosecuting, said Mr Bricka’s strategy was initially successful as Ms Taylor broke up with her boyfriend, Tim Dobson – who was then arrested on suspicion of waging a “vendetta” against his girlfriend.
Police quickly found no evidence against him and turned their attention instead to Mr Bricka, jurors were told.
But after arresting Mr Bricka, his 63-year-old mother, Tonia, stepped forward and claimed she was behind the stalking, Mr Martin said. Prosecutors allege she is “lying” to protect her son, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.
Mr Bricka is on trial accused of 10 counts of stalking and perverting the course of justice, while his mother is charged with perverting the course of justice. They deny the charges.
Jurors were told Mr Bricka set up multiple fake social media accounts, at least 34 different phone numbers, six email addresses, and used three mobile phones during his year-long campaign.
He is accused of stalking a total of 10 victims – terrorising Ms Taylor and nine other people connected to her, including her father Dr Tim Taylor.
He waged his campaign against Ms Taylor after they met at the stables where he lives near Chichester, West Sussex, and continued the behaviour when she turned down going on a walk.
Mr Bricka was said to have worked across the world as a stable hand, attending international showjumping events to help groom horses.
Prosecutors allege his harassment began at the start of 2019 when Ms Taylor received a Facebook message from an account with the name Rosie Hart telling her “can you leave my boyfriend alone you ugly little freak”.
In June 2019, Mr Bricka’s stalking is alleged to have escalated when he used a fake profile named Olivia Summers telling her Mr Dobson was seeing other women. In the coming weeks, Ms Taylor was bombarded with messages and calls from different numbers and accounts, the court heard.
Mr Bricka also sent an email to Dr Taylor’s hospital, St Richard’s in Chichester, falsely alleging he sent indecent messages to a patient’s young daughter, the prosecutor said.
The court heard that Mr Bricka would “comfort” Miss Taylor, who was unaware he was allegedly behind it and who she considered a friend.
Prosecutor Brent Martin described Mr Bricka’s alleged campaign as a “warped and twisted plan”, adding: “[It was] all part of the defendant’s plan, to not only split Eve and Tim up, but ensure Tim went to prison for something the defendant had done leaving the way clear for him.”
Mr Bricka, who lives with his family in Aldingbourne, near Chichester, was arrested in April 2020 after police spotted him on CCTV topping up a pay-asyou-go phones used to send messages.
Mr Martin said Bricka’s mother “made a complicated investigation more complicated” by making a ‘false confession’ in October 2020.
The trial continues.