JILTED EX-GIRLFRIEND, 56, CAUSED MORE THAN £10,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO FORMER LOVER'S CAR AND FOLLOWED HIM ON DATES DURING SEVEN-MONTH HARASSMENT CAMPAIGN
A jilted ex-girlfriend caused more than £10,000 worth of damage to her former lover's car after their on-off relationship ended.Joanne Butler stalked her ex-boyfriend, following him on dates and taking pictures of the inside of his house, over a seven-month harassment campaign between March and October last year.
Butler, 56, caused £8,300 worth of damage to his BMW and £2,000 worth of damage to his Citroen van.
She represented herself in court and pleaded guilty to criminal damage and harassment.
She argued her actions were appropriate as the break-up had left her upset.
She told the court: 'When I did take the picture, later that year he asked me to go away with him.
He wasn’t fearful of me, as we went away in September 2024.
I feel like I’ve been treated badly as well.' Her mitigation was cut short after she attempted to question the victim's character - despite pleading guilty to the charge.
Butler, of Kidderminster, was sentenced to a 12-month community order, including 15 rehabilitation days, 270 unpaid hours’ work and £1,204 in damages.
She was given an 18-month restraining order against her victim.
A victim impact statement said she had experienced stress and anxiety along with the financial loss caused by the damage to his cars.
Prosecutor Julia Fox said: ‘She went around the back of his house during the night.
This was a calculated decision rather than a knee-jerk reaction.
She saw he had a guest staying at the property and came around the next day to cause more damage.
Usually a man is harassing a woman, but this case has flipped that dynamic on its head.' The court noted that her ex-lover had to install cameras at his property, and when Butler became aware of them, she installed more at the back of her home.
The victim had to pay for camera installation, and her actions increased his car insurance costs.
The victim stated he experienced stress and financial loss due to her harassment and damage.
