A Warwickshire woman has been sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates' Court after a persistent campaign of harassment against her former girlfriend, which also included criminal damage to the victim's door.
Lisa-Marie Clark, 45, of Chapel End, Nuneaton, pleaded guilty to harassment without violence and criminal damage. The offences came to light following an incident on September 8 last year, when she caused damage to the complainant's door.
The court heard that Clark made repeated and unwanted contact with her ex-partner, despite being told to stop. The harassment continued even while she was on police bail, with conditions prohibiting any contact.
Birthday text breached bail conditions
Prosecutor Rosalind Butler told the court that Clark sent a happy birthday text to her ex-partner while those bail conditions were in place. In the message, Clark wrote: "I'm risking to get nicked again just to say happy birthday."
The court was told that the contact was persistent but not threatening or abusive. Butler described it as "persistent emotional contact", noting that the key aggravating factor was the breach of police bail conditions.
Clark has previous convictions, including for assaulting an emergency worker, and had previously served a prison sentence after a suspended sentence was activated.
Victim describes anxiety and therapy
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the complainant said the ordeal had caused her "a great deal of anxiety" and that she had started therapy. She described the two and a half years she spent with Clark as "horrific", adding that it had taken a huge toll on her mental health.
"The latest harassment and abuse has left me more affected than ever. I want this whole ordeal to be over. At every turn I'm scared to leave my own home," she said. "I can't keep being scared to look over my shoulder."
The victim said the harassment had left her feeling anxious and fearful in her daily life, and that she had sought professional help to cope with the impact.
OCD diagnosis considered in court
Clark's solicitor told the court that she has a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which he said contributed to the nature of the offending. He acknowledged that this was not an excuse, noting that Clark had admitted the offences both in court and during interview.
The solicitor explained that Clark had initially claimed the contact was reciprocal when arrested, but later understood that the complainant no longer wanted contact. He said that two years was a significant relationship period and that Clark's actions were aimed at seeing if there was still hope of reconciliation.
"Quite often there are brief periods of separation or longer periods of separation and parties get back together after a period. Against the background of that relationship, that was not unusual," he said. "It was with a view to see if there was still hope in it continuing."
Community order and restraining order imposed
Clark was handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 15 rehabilitation activity days. She must also pay £214, comprising a £100 fine and a £114 victim surcharge.
The court deemed a restraining order to prevent contact with the complainant as "necessary and proportionate". The order is intended to protect the victim from any further unwanted contact from Clark.
