Hull Crown Court heard she felt like she was being checked on at all times
Daniel Roantree stalked his ex-wife(Image: Hull Live)
A jealous husband who could not accept the break-up of his marriage obsessively monitored his ex-wife’s social media posts – leaving her “living in fear” and feeling that she was still being “controlled”. Supermarket worker Daniel Roantree “called her hurtful names” and repeatedly tried to get her to describe herself online as still being his wife, Hull Crown Court heard.
Roantree, 40, of Carr Lane, Willerby, admitted stalking the woman between May 3 and June 19, 2024. He pleaded guilty on the day of a scheduled trial.
Harry Bradford, prosecuting, said that the couple first met in 2009 before later living together and marrying. They had three children together. The relationship ended in March 2024 but they lived together after that and had separate rooms.
Roantree’s behaviour changed and he accused her of cheating on him. “He called her hurtful names,” said Mr Bradford. He accused her of being an adulterer.
He read and criticised her social media messages and took screenshots of them. When she checked her mobile phone, she saw that there had been numerous attempts to access her accounts.
Roantree repeatedly sent relationship requests to her and he repeatedly asked her to add him as being his wife. These were automatically generated as repeat requests but Roantree would not necessarily have known that this would happen, the court heard.
The woman later said that, since their separation, she had been living in fear and she felt that she was being checked on at all times. She felt that she was being controlled and she had to stop going to a gym over fears that she would see him.
“I still cry at work,” she said. Some days she could not fulfill her job role. Roantree was arrested on July 3 last year.
Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, mitigating, said that Roantree struggled to accept that his long-term relationship with the woman had come to an end. “He readily accepts that he became paranoid and jealous and he behaved in a way that he is not proud of and which he bitterly regrets,” said Miss Kioko-Gilligan.
“He expresses remorse for his behaviour. This is, of course, unattractive behaviour but it is out of character. He accepts that this relationship is over.
“They are moving forward. He is a low risk of reoffending.” Roantree worked full-time for a supermarket. He had no previous convictions.
Judge Alexander Menary told Roantree: “You are someone who struggled to deal with the breakdown of this relationship. For a period, your behaviour became erratic and irrational. There is no reason for me to think there will be a repeat of this.”
Roantree was given a four-month suspended prison sentence, 150 hours’ unpaid work and 20 days’ rehabilitation. He was given a 10-year restraining order and he was ordered to pay a £154 victims’ surcharge.