Jilted Rowlands Castle husband becomes ‘criminally obsessed’ over wife by hiding tracker on car and listening to her via baby monitor

Stalking former company director Paul Hughes turned up at locations where his ex-partner was and bombarded her with calls and messages during his hell-raising spree. The 41-year-old struggled to accept the relationship was over before launching his campaign of harassment during May and June.

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Portsmouth Crown Court heard how roofer Hughes, of Wellswood Gardens, Rowlands Castle, sought to keep close track on his wife’s movements after putting a tracker on her car. Armed with her Whatsapp password he was also able to stay abreast of her conversations and he earwigged her chats at home through a baby monitor for their young son.

‘(Hughes) turned up at locations after putting a tracker on her vehicle and he monitored her conversations remotely without her knowledge,’ prosecutor James Kelam said. Rebecca Fairbairn, defending, said Hughes was caught in the eye of an ‘emotionally perfect storm’ after the relationship ended before two friends died.

The lawyer said Hughes ‘lost his head’ during a six-week spell in which he tried to win his former lover back. This was despite her ‘moving on’ amid concerns she had struck up a friendship with a man just out of prison.

Judge Richard Shepherd said: ‘This is a classic case where the relationship breaks down and one person becomes criminally obsessed by the other and uses knowledge over them.’

But Ms Fairbairn sought to play down the offending after revealing Hughes used a tracker for work before placing it on his wife’s car. ‘As soon as he did it he regretted it but couldn’t get access to remove it,’ she said.

Responding to eavesdropping through the baby monitor, the barrister said listening in to the device was ‘not deliberate’ as it was always in the house - having fallen down the back of furniture. She added that (Hughes) ‘didn’t know it had fallen down the side’ but had ‘exploited its presence’ when in the room.

But judge Shepherd said: ‘The baby monitor falling down the back of the cupboard does not add up to me.’

Hughes, who had been on an electronically tagged curfew since July 18, was spared jail and instead handed 12 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months. He was given 10 rehabilitation days, told to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £900. An indefinite restraining order was also served.

Judge Shepherd added: ‘You became jealous, angry and obsessed and couldn’t let her go. You took a number of actions to stalk to keep tabs on her by listening in to her, phoning her frequently in harassing fashion and turning up at places. All because you couldn’t let her go.’

The judge accepted Hughes had shown ‘genuine remorse’ but warned him: ‘If you get in trouble again I will reserve the case to me. You have used up every ounce of mercy you have.’