Court: Online romance led to harassment case
A Grantham woman is seeking a restraining order after receiving hundreds of unwanted phone calls, as well as abusive text messages, from a man she met online.
Paul Wigham of Bank Avenue, Whickham, Gateshead, admitted harassment of the Grantham woman who he had been briefly in a relationship with.
The court heard how Wigham and the victim met online and arranged to meet in Grantham, Gateshead and York before the victim began breaking off the relationship.
Kate Hartley, prosecuting, read out a statement in which the victim described receiving hundreds of phone calls a day, answering the occasional call only briefly to tell Wigham to stop contacting her.
The victim received 83 text messages in a row calling her a “selfish w***e”. Another said: “I despise you. Dirty b***h. I hope you die. I never loved you”
A statement was also read out from a police officer who spent two hours taking the statement from the victim. He said that during that two hours Wigham, 29, called the victim more than 100 times.
The final straw for the victim came when Wigham turned up unannounced at her workplace at Sainsbury’s in Grantham.
The victim said: “I felt like he was in control of my life. At work I’m an emotional wreck.
“Him screaming down the phone reduces me to tears.”
The victim also said Wigham had threatened suicide and said he would “take me with him”.
Rory Macmillan, defending, told the court Wigham had a history of treatment for schizophrenia and personality disorder.
Mr Macmillan said: “He would not have been in contact with her if at any point she had told him that the relationship was over.”
Mr Macmillan added: “He says being in this situation he knows it is now over and he will not contact her again.”
Wigham, who is unemployed and lives with his grandparents, admitted harassment.
The case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports until February 18.
Wigham was bailed on the conditions he does not enter Grantham unless attending court and does not contact the victim.
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Wednesday 22 May 2013
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