Over the course of several months, an obsessive Whitehaven man made his former girlfriend's life hell.
Rhys Cameron Burr, 21, of Loop North Road, Whitehaven, admitted three offences, as listed below, when he appeared at West Cumbria Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 12th May 2021.
The offences in question were:
- Stalking involving serious alarm or distress, contrary to section 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. The maximum penalty for this offence is 10 years' custody and/or an unlimited fine on conviction on indictment; 6 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction.
- Engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour, contrary to section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015. The maximum penalty for this offence is 5 years' custody and/or an unlimited fine on conviction on indictment; 6 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction.
- Interfering with a vehicle and causing danger to a road user, contrary to section 22A(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The maximum penalty for this offence is 7 years' custody and/or an unlimited fine on conviction on indictment; 6 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction.
Magistrates' heard that Burr had been in a relationship with the injured party, Zoe Hodgson.
The couple's relationship turned sour in June 2020 when Miss Hodgson picked up Burr in her BMW and he accused her of cheating.
He grabbed the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to veer onto the wrong side of the road. He also applied the handbrake when the vehicle was in motion.
The court heard that on a previous occasion Burr had thrown keys at the back of Miss Hodgson's head.
Pam Fee, prosecuting, said: "He constantly asked her who she was with and used Snapchat to locate exactly where she was. He made her turn on the find your phone app on her phone."
On another occasion Burr picked up her phone and smashed it to pieces. He also prevented her from leaving by holding the door closed and blocking it with his body.
Burr was also seen vandalising Miss Hodgson's car, but he subsequently got hold of her phone and deleted incriminating footage of the incident.
The relationship ended in November 2020, but Burr continued to pester Miss Hodgson and her friends by sending messages.
On 28th November 2020 he visited her home on four separate occasions, delivering chocolates and 100 love notes, despite having been told to stay away.
"It has been quite a traumatic few months on her", Ms Fee concluded.
Mike Pope, mitigating, said: "There is a mental health element."
Magistrates were of the opinion that their sentencing powers were insufficient to deal with the offences. They sent the case to Carlisle Crown Court for sentencing.
In the meantime Burr was granted conditional bail.
Although no date is given, cases like this are usually listed four weeks later. That being the case, expect to see Burr at Carlisle Crown Court on Wednesday, 9th June 2021 (or thereabouts).
It sounds as if Burr mounted a truly horrendous campaign against Miss Hodgson, which will no doubt leave its mark for years to come. I hope her life goes in a positive direction now.
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