I burst out crying when my stalker was found guilty... this is a win for the victims
‘Terrorised’ TV presenter Isla’s relief as justice is done
SCOTS newsreader Isla Traquair burst into tears on a train when she heard her ‘infatuated’ next-door neighbour had been convicted of stalking her, she disclosed last night.
The former ITV and Channel 5 presenter suffered nightmares and panic attacks after Jonathan Barrett began stalking her when she moved to an idyllic 18th Century country cottage on the edge of the Cotswolds.
Barrett, 53, ‘terrorised’ Ms Traquair between March and September last year, even climbing her garden wall and entering her house to offer her a sandwich.
Last night, the Aberdeen-born journalist took to Facebook to reveal her emotions overcame her when she discovered he had been found guilty on Thursday. The 42-year-old said: ‘This is a win for victims of stalking (there aren’t many wins) and it’s my duty to raise awareness about the horrendous impact of stalking and the shockingly low conviction rates.
‘This has been one of the worst weeks of my life but it was worth it to see justice done. I found out on a train and burst out crying.
‘More to be said, but I’ve just been reunited with my mum and dad and I’m going to enjoy them without the gigantic weight that’s been on my shoulders since early 2021.’
The presenter became so scared of Barrett she spent thousands fortifying her home with fences and security cameras before eventually fleeing her house in the small Wiltshire town of Corsham.
‘I can’t live in my home,’ she said during the three day trial at Salisbury Magistrates Court. She has still not returned in almost a year.
She broke down in tears while giving evidence, saying: ‘It has affected every part of my life. I can’t live in my home, I have had to stay with friends on their couches. There were periods I moved away. I had nightmares, it’s affected my relationships... I barely went out because I was scared I would see him.
‘I have panic attacks, I would wake in the middle of the night. Even if I saw a white van, because that’s what he drives, that would set me off.
‘I was scared of him, I wanted to avoid him at all costs. I left my home and I honestly just tried to bury all this. It breaks my heart I can’t live in my own home.’
Ms Traquair recently worked on the Oprah Winfrey Network in the United States and released a true crime podcast The Storyteller: Violent Delights.
Barrett claimed his interest in her was not abnormal, he had not been trying to see into her home and he had simply glimpsed a photo of her naked when she had shown him her mobile phone.
He told the court: ‘I’ve never seen her naked. The only time was when she showed me her paintings on her phone and she scrolled past a picture of her naked.’ He insisted she had become ‘disturbed’ from working on her crime podcast.
He added: ‘I know she was telling true crime murder stories and I think seeking out stories that send chills down people’s spines has become a fixation for her that she lives on, that fear.’
Barrett was told his ‘obsessive’ behaviour amounted to harassment. Magistrate Mina Searles said: ‘You pursued a course of conduct that caused distress.’
He will be sentenced on August 18. In the meantime, he has been given a one-year restraining order, preventing him from contacting his victim or even looking into her house.