THOMAS LEE-EVERTON OF TOTNES SENTENCED IN EXETER COURT FOR REPEATED STALKING

THOMAS LEE-EVERTON OF TOTNES SENTENCED IN EXETER COURT FOR REPEATED STALKING

A former Royal Navy serviceman, Thomas Lee-Everton, has been reconvicted and sentenced to prison for obsessively stalking his ex-partner, Exeter Crown Court heard.

Lee-Everton, 31, from Totnes, had only recently been released after serving time for pestering her when he resumed sending abusive messages, blaming her for his problems.

During proceedings, it was revealed that he texted her saying he "hopes you die".

His fixation terrified her to the point that she moved house, and the stress contributed to her losing her job.

Lee-Everton pleaded guilty to breaching a restraining order and stalking with the intent to cause fear, resulting in a Jail term of 14 months.

The judge warned him, stating, "he would keep going to jail if he didn't change his ways," and added, "I hope your ambition to move away is achieved.

Repeated contact just means more prison." Lee-Everton expressed a desire to move forward with his life.

Prosecutor Zoe Kuyken explained that the pair had an on-and-off relationship spanning 12 years.

In 2022, Lee-Everton was issued a restraining order forbidding any contact.

Previously, in June 2023, he was jailed for 12 months after being convicted of two counts of stalking and three counts of breaching the restraining order.

Following his release, the court was told, she received numerous emails and calls from unknown numbers.

In a victim statement, she described the distress caused by the constant emails, saying, "they had caused enormous stress," and she feared walking familiar routes or using her PlayStation, thinking he was watching her.

She added, "I couldn't be a normal person." Rebecca Wood, defending, noted that Lee-Everton had a successful career in the Royal Navy before becoming a gas engineer and that he now "wants to be a better man." The judge commented on the repeated nature of this offending and emphasized that prison was the only suitable option.

He concluded that Lee-Everton, residing on Punchards Down, is likely to serve about 40% of his 14-month sentence before potential release.