FORMER TEACHER JAILED FOR THREE-YEAR STALKING CAMPAIGN AGAINST EX-COLLEAGUE
A former teacher has been jailed for waging a three-year stalking campaign against her ex-colleague she blamed for getting her sacked.Barbara Shiells, 60, who worked at Ripon Grammar School in North Yorkshire, began hounding former assistant head teacher Caroline Day after her dismissal in October 2020.
Prosecutor Felicity Hemlin described how Shiells, of Thornborough near Bedale, repeatedly visited Day's home between October 2020 and April 2024, causing serious alarm and distress.
Shiells would stare through her kitchen window, leave dog feces on a disabled ramp outside her home, pass by her house up to 15 times a day, send false accusations via email, make phone calls from withheld numbers, and publish Day's contact details online.
The court heard Shiells also created a blog called 'Ripon Whistleblower' to make accusations against her.
The campaign severely affected Day, who stopped going out for jogs and walking her dog.
In 2022, Shiells's claim for unfair dismissal was rejected after an employment tribunal cited numerous complaints about her behavior.
She previously worked as a PE teacher and personal trainer and claimed she was unfairly dismissed for whistleblowing, but her claim was denied.
At York Crown Court, Shiells was sentenced to five and a half years and was also subjected to a lifelong restraining order banning her from contacting Day or publishing material about her.
