This is Kent --
A TUNBRIDGE Wells woman who was falsely accused of being a thief and sexual deviant by her ex-boyfriend has spoken of her relief after her tormentor was jailed.
Maureen Young, a receptionist in the town, said it was "a huge weight" off her mind that Tonbridge resident Carl Welstead had been locked up.
Ms Young, 43, was subjected to six months of harassment after she ended their relationship last summer.
As well as sending Ms Young more than 900 texts from June to January, spurned Welstead, 47, e-mailed her daughter's school six times with stories about her sex life – claiming to have concerns about the girl's welfare at home.
Peter Cockrill, prosecuting at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court on Monday, said: "The e-mails refer to the victim being involved in swinging and dogging, in relation to sexual practice. They also make reference to a friend of Ms Young's being imprisoned for paedophilia. That has all been dismissed as made up and without foundation."
Welstead sent the messages from an account set up in a different name, which resulted in social services contacting Ms Young and questioning her before concluding the allegations were malicious.
The court heard how he sent e-mails to Ms Young's employer, a firm of solicitors in Tunbridge Wells, claiming she was a thief and had made death threats against him. He also attached indecent images of her.
At sentencing on Monday, Welstead, who pleaded guilty on March 4 to a charge of harassment without violence, was jailed for 90 days. He was also given a lifelong restraining order forbidding him from contacting his ex.
Ms Young, from Tunbridge Wells, said it was "a huge weight" off her mind. "I had tried to remove myself from the relationship for some time because he was very unsuitable. I wanted to put my child first but that was easier said than done.
"The police warned him about harassment before but unfortunately I was quite vulnerable and on medication and he found a way back into my life."
The court also heard Welstead had been convicted in 2006 of a similar offence against an ex-partner and was fined £400.
Ms Young said: "I'm relieved it was taken seriously and I hope he learns his lesson this time." Reported by This is 14 hours ago.
A TUNBRIDGE Wells woman who was falsely accused of being a thief and sexual deviant by her ex-boyfriend has spoken of her relief after her tormentor was jailed.
Maureen Young, a receptionist in the town, said it was "a huge weight" off her mind that Tonbridge resident Carl Welstead had been locked up.
Ms Young, 43, was subjected to six months of harassment after she ended their relationship last summer.
As well as sending Ms Young more than 900 texts from June to January, spurned Welstead, 47, e-mailed her daughter's school six times with stories about her sex life – claiming to have concerns about the girl's welfare at home.
Peter Cockrill, prosecuting at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court on Monday, said: "The e-mails refer to the victim being involved in swinging and dogging, in relation to sexual practice. They also make reference to a friend of Ms Young's being imprisoned for paedophilia. That has all been dismissed as made up and without foundation."
Welstead sent the messages from an account set up in a different name, which resulted in social services contacting Ms Young and questioning her before concluding the allegations were malicious.
The court heard how he sent e-mails to Ms Young's employer, a firm of solicitors in Tunbridge Wells, claiming she was a thief and had made death threats against him. He also attached indecent images of her.
At sentencing on Monday, Welstead, who pleaded guilty on March 4 to a charge of harassment without violence, was jailed for 90 days. He was also given a lifelong restraining order forbidding him from contacting his ex.
Ms Young, from Tunbridge Wells, said it was "a huge weight" off her mind. "I had tried to remove myself from the relationship for some time because he was very unsuitable. I wanted to put my child first but that was easier said than done.
"The police warned him about harassment before but unfortunately I was quite vulnerable and on medication and he found a way back into my life."
The court also heard Welstead had been convicted in 2006 of a similar offence against an ex-partner and was fined £400.
Ms Young said: "I'm relieved it was taken seriously and I hope he learns his lesson this time." Reported by This is 14 hours ago.