Locations
Rimside View, Longframlington, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65
Description
Jonathon Blacklock sprayed offensive graffiti about the victim around a Northumberland village, sent her abusive messages, left nasty notes at her home, slashed her car tyres and dumped rubbish on her drive
A jealous ex intent on causing maximum humiliation to his former partner embarked on a sinister stalking campaign, which involved showing sexual images to her boss and boyfriend.
Jonathon Blacklock had a brief relationship with the victim in 2020 and took exception when it ended.
So much so, the obsessed 50-year-old set out on an "appalling sequence of actions to inflict harm and humiliation" upon the woman, Newcastle Crown Court was told.
Over a two-month period, Blacklock sprayed offensive graffiti about her around a Northumberland village, sent abusive texts, left nasty notes at her home, slashed her tyres and dumped rubbish at the end of her drive.
He also showed intimate sexual photos of her to her boss and partner, prosecutors said.
During the course of the stalking, Blacklock mindlessly slashed the tyres of 10 other vehicles, whose owner's had nothing to do with him or his ex.
His actions left the victim feeling suicidal and contemplating leaving her job and moving house, the court heard.
Blacklock, of Rimside View, in Longframlington, Northumberland, has now been spared jail after he pleaded guilty to stalking, two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and 12 counts of criminal damage.
Giving him a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, Judge Edward Bindloss said: "You undertook an appalling sequence of actions, which inflicted harm and humiliation upon her - stalking, disclosing sexual images and criminal damage to her vehicle.
"In addition, on January 22, you went on a mindless spree of criminal damage against 10 other cars by putting a knife into the car tyres and creating 10 victims, who had nothing to do with anything."
The judge added: "The stalking was over two months, although you resurrected it for a weekend. You sprayed graffiti calling her a s**t and a s**g. You sent abusive texts, left notes in her garden, left underwear at her partner's address."
The court heard that Blacklock and the victim broke up in September 2020 and his stalking campaign started soon after.
He began by spraying the abusive graffiti around Longframlington and close to the woman's home before approaching her partner at a garden centre and showing him a sexual photo of her.
He also showed the same picture to her boss.
In the weeks that followed, the victim received a number of voicemails from Blacklock calling her a "f****g slag" and abusive texts.
Omar Ahmed, prosecuting, said, in November 2020, the woman was told by her neighbour that she'd seen a man scattering multiple pieces of paper around her garden.
Mr Ahmed continued: "When the complainant looked at what she'd been given by the neighbour, she saw each piece of paper referred to her in abusive terms, either as a s**g or a w***e.
"That same day [her partner] found female underwear had been left at his front door."
The court heard that Blacklock then left notes on the new boyfriend's doorstep referencing sexual activity that had taken place between him and the victim.
Blacklock then went on to dump rubbish at the end of the woman's driveway and left a brick with "trash for trash" written on it, Mr Ahmed said.
He'd also slashed the tyres of her car and put grass up its exhaust.
Blacklock's behaviour stopped for a while until January 2021 when he caused 337.75-worth of damage to the victim's partner's van.
Mr Ahmed added: "Not satisfied with just the damage caused to his van, he went on to attack nine other cars in the surrounding streets. Each of the vehicles had one or two tyres punctured with a sharp instrument. The total cost across all the victims was 750."
Blacklock was eventually arrested but claimed her hadn't harassed the woman and had acted out of a "desire to hurt her".
In a statement, she said she'd had suicidal thoughts, had changed her route to work and had contemplated leaving her job and moving house.
The court was told that Blacklock, who has eight offences on his record, was suffering from mental health issues at the time but had since sought help.
Richard Bloomfield, defending, said: "He's not been in any trouble since his arrest. Before his arrest, he was offending at a rapid pace. I think he can be rehabilitated, so the sentence can be suspended."
Blacklock was also made subject of a two-month curfew between 9pm and 6am and a restraining order, banning him from contacting the victim or her partner.