‘OBSESSED’ NEIGHBOUR FOUND GUILTY OF STALKING ABERDEEN TV PRESENTER
A professional gardener was convicted of stalking a former Aberdeen TV presenter, Isla Traquair.Magistrates ruled Barrett had become “infatuated” with her after she moved into her cottage on the edge of the Cotswolds.
Ms Traquair, 42, experienced nightmares and panic attacks due to Barrett's behaviour, which included staring into her bedroom window and “chainsawing” a bush in her garden.
Barrett climbed over her wall and entered her house to offer her a sandwich.
She spent thousands fortifying her home with fences and security cameras before fleeing.
At Salisbury Magistrates Court, Barrett was found guilty of stalking and banned from contacting her or entering her property for one year.
He shook his head during sentencing and faces a later sentence on August 18.
Magistrate Mina Searles described Barrett's behaviour as an obsession and harassment, noting the inconsistencies in his evidence and the obsession that caused alarm and distress.
Ms Traquair has said she can’t live in her own home anymore, having moved away, and suffers from nightmares and panic attacks, with her life affected significantly.
Barrett denied stalking, claiming she had become fixated on him and suggested her fear was a result of her work on a true crime podcast.
He lives in a £380,000 semi-detached home next to her.
He was convicted of one charge of stalking and is awaiting sentencing.
