He struggled to accept the relationship was over
An obsessed stalker set up a secret camera in his ex-girlfriend’s bedroom wardrobe so that he could “view and spy on her” after she finished their rapidly deteriorating relationship. He also hid a telltale tracker device inside her car as another sneaky way of keeping close tabs on where she was going, Hull Crown Court heard.
Mark Richardson, 57, formerly of David’s Close, Skidby, near Cottingham, but recently of Fairfield Avenue, Carlton, near Goole, admitted stalking the woman at Withernsea during 2022. He pleaded guilty on the first day of a scheduled trial. Jazmine Lee, prosecuting, said that Richardson and the woman met online in January 2019 and, at the beginning of their relationship, everything seemed fine between them and he was kind, caring and treated her well.
After 18 months, things deteriorated and the woman decided to end their relationship in early 2022. Despite this, he carried on living at her home and he came and went as he pleased. Richardson struggled to accept the situation and this made the living environment difficult and uncomfortable for her.
On October 5, 2022, the woman accused him of putting a camera in her bedroom wardrobe but he denied this and claimed that the camera could not record anything anyway because it had no memory card. She discovered, however, from making inquiries that the user could still watch the images, although they could not be stored.
She later discovered that Richardson had accused her on Facebook of cheating and that he had made degrading comments. He posted abusive comments on her profile under all her recent posts. “He did delete those comments,” said Miss Lee.
Richardson finally left her home on October 10, 2022. She discovered that a tracking device had been put on her car’s battery. “It was forensically examined and the defendant’s fingerprints were on it,” said Miss Lee.
The woman later said: “Mark’s behaviour towards me has caused me to struggle with everyday life. I just could not function properly. I felt that I was being paranoid and my anxiety became worse.” Miss Lee added: “She feels that Mark’s behaviour towards her has taken away her trust in men.”
Richardson had convictions for 22 previous offences, including breaching a restraining order, breaching a non-molestation order, controlling and coercive behaviour, and, in 2017 and 2000, harassment. He had been jailed for 23 months in September 2017. He was released from prison in October 2018 but breached the restraining order while on licence.
Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that Richardson had a history of similar offending. “There is no going behind that,” said Mr Shipley. “It arose out of the breakdown of the relationship.
“There is nothing that I can say to excuse any of that. There is a weak spot here for him. He accepts that there’s work to be done and improvements can be made.”
Richardson had later been involved in a relationship with another woman but there seemed to have been problems with that too.
“He is a hard-working man,” said Mr Shipley. “He is a self-employed plumber and gas fitter. It’s something he has been busy with.”
Recorder Alistair MacDonald KC said: “You put a camera in her bedroom so that you could view and spy on her. Her car had a tracker device. These are very serious offences. It was planned.
“It has had significant effects upon the victim. The probation service take the view that your risk cannot be managed in the community.”
Richardson, who had been on bail was jailed for 20 weeks and he was given a five-year restraining order. A charge of controlling and coercive behaviour against the woman was dropped.