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Female stalker bombarded glamorous travel company boss with a hundred phone calls and set up 20 fake online profiles to abuse her in 'Baby Reindeer-like' harassment campaign after wrongly believing she was dating her ex
A mother-of-two bombarded a glamorous travel company boss with more than 100 phone calls and set up 20 fake online profiles to abuse her in a 'Baby Reindeer-like' harassment campaign after wrongly believing she was dating her ex.
Emma Buckley, a 36-year-old care supervisor, publicly branded Sarah Kidger, 34, a 'home wrecker', a 'psycho' and a 'slag', and also shared malicious messages that caused financial damage to her company.
Miss Kidger was left in 'fear and distress' by the weeks of relentless messages and calls, and took to social media to compare her ordeal to the hit Baby Reindeer TV series and Buckley to the main stalker character, Martha.
Buckley, a care supervisor from Castleford, West Yorkshire, admitted harassment without violence at Leeds Magistrates Court.
She was sentenced to a 12-month community order involving 150 hours of unpaid work and given a two-year restraining order to prevent all contact with Miss Kidger.
Guilty: Emma Buckley, a 36-year-old care supervisor, (pictured) called her victim a 'home wrecker', 'psycho' and 'slag'
Victim: Sarah Kidger was left in 'fear and distress' by the weeks of relentless messages and calls
It is understood Miss Kidger denies ever being romantically involved with Buckley's ex and they are just long-term 'friends.'
Fiona Newcombe, prosecuting, said the harassment was carried out throughout February and continued after Buckley was identified as being responsible, initially arrested and released on bail.
Malicious comments were made on accounts under false names set up by Buckley on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, the court heard.
The anonymous phone calls she made to Miss Kidger repeated the same 'home wrecker' and 'slag' themes of the social media posts made under false names, said Miss Newcombe. Some calls were made in the middle of the night.
There was also a threat that Miss Kidger would 'pay for this,' the court heard.
Miss Newcombe said Miss Kidger was targeted as Buckley believed she was in a relationship with her ex-partner and had moved in with her.
In a victim personal statement, Miss Kidger said the harassment had a 'serious impact on my mental health.'
She said the messages were made to friends, family and the public, causing 'harm and distress' and 'affecting her relationships.'
They also had a damaging financial impact on her online travel agency as the messages 'suggested her business was a scam,' the court heard.
A probation officer told the court Buckley said it began when her partner 'went missing for four days' and believed he was living with Miss Kidger.
She said this was her first criminal offence and Buckley's mental health had deteriorated as a result of the court case.
Buckley, a care supervisor from Castleford, West Yorkshire, admitted harassment without violence at Leeds Magistrates Court
The female harasser left malicious comments under false names on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
Victim Sarah Kidger in a photo she shared on social media
Kevin Walker, defending, said the offending began when his client's partner 'moved in with the complainant' and she made the comments online to 'get at' him. Their relationship was an 'unhappy one with domestic issues throughout,' he said.
He said she was 'upset and remorseful for her actions and understands the upset it has caused', adding: 'This is going to be a stain on her good character.'
He said there had been no contact with Miss Kidger since she was interviewed about her offending and stressed there had been 'no threat of violence' made by Buckley.
Passing sentence, District Judge Richard Kitson told Buckley it was 'totally inappropriate to behave in this way' and said her harassment had a 'significant impact' on Miss Kidger.
He told her: 'There was a high degree of planning and sophistication with these fake profiles and you intended to cause fear and distress with the sheer number of calls that you made.
'This behaviour, no matter how aggrieved you feel, has got to stop.'
Miss Kidger was left in 'fear and distress' by the weeks of relentless messages and calls, and took to social media to compare her ordeal to the hit Baby Reindeer TV series and Buckley to the main stalker character, Martha (pictured)
Victim Miss Kidger - pictured here in a social media photo - has a travel company
Buckley was ordered to pay £114 victim surcharge and £85 costs.
Writing about her ordeal on Facebook, Miss Kidger said: 'Despite being subject to a witch hunt of threats, violence, harassment and attempts to damage my character and my business reputation over the last few weeks, life is still good.
'When somebody is making accusations and condemning a person without actually knowing all the facts, know that this is an abuse tactic used to 'guilt trip' a person and can tell you a lot about that person. Make your own judgements and don't believe what you are told without proof of the facts.
'Attempting to assassinate someone's character is often a cheap and desperate attempt to mask ones own insecurities and weaknesses.'
She commented that watching the hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer was 'a bit too close to home' and compared Buckley to the main stalking character in the show, adding 'my harasser's resemblance to Martha is unnerving.'