Council stalwart ‘pestered ex-lover’

Feb 12 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

A VETERAN parish council chairman launched a campaign of harassment and intimidation against a former council colleague after she ended their four-year relationship, a court was told yesterday.

Jim Burley – described as a pillar of his local Northumberland community – was said to be unhappy with Sharon Auld’s decision to break off the affair, which had seen him twice leave his wife and move in with her.

After the split, it is alleged that Burley, 71, who chairs Pegswood Parish Council, shouted abuse at Mrs Auld in the street, made threats against her and her young daughter and began making a series of nuisance silent telephone calls to her home.

Mrs Auld, 35, also claims that he once drove his car straight at her at speed, pulling up just inches from hitting her, as she walked home from a local store.

On another occasion she says he pulled up alongside her on the street, wound down the car window and told her ‘I will get you, you bitch’.

Despite being given a police warning under the Protection from Harassment Act in July 2006, Burley’s behaviour towards Mrs Auld continued, it is claimed. Eventually, after five months of alleged harassment, he was arrested and charged in May last year, Bedlington magistrates were told.

Burley, a retired coal industry manager who lives with his wife Eunice, 70, in West View, Pegswood, denies a charge of harassing Mrs Auld between October 2006 and March 2007. Yesterday the court heard that his relationship with Mrs Auld began in 2002, while they were both members of the parish council. Sarah O’Neill, prosecuting, said after the affair ended in 2006, Burley went back to his wife but then began harassing Mrs Auld and her family. A series of silent phone calls made to her home were traced by BT to Pegswood Ex-Servicemen’s Club.

Ms O’Neill said CCTV footage from the club would show a man who looked like and dressed like Burley using the phone to make calls. She said the alleged incidents constituted a course of conduct by Burley amounting to harassment of Mrs Auld.

Giving evidence, Mrs Auld, who resigned from the parish council in 2002, said Burley didn’t take it well and was ‘not very happy’ when she ended their relationship in 2006. “He started threatening me and shouting abuse at me in the street. I was just upset that things had gone so badly wrong and felt quite intimidated.”

She said she involved the police when threats made against her became more serious and he began threatening her daughter. “The police warned him under the Harassment Act but that didn’t cure the problem,” she added.

She started to get the nuisance silent calls towards the end of 2006, about 20 of which were found to have been made from the Ex-Servicemen’s Club after BT put a trace on her line. “I knew Mr Burley was watching me when I was out and about and the phone calls made me feel as though he was watching me in the house, too. I was quite frightened and so was my daughter.”

Mrs Auld said her health had deteriorated since her relationship with Burley ended, and she had seen a psychologist and had been taking anti-depressants. She said she had suffered no trouble whatsoever since the police proceedings against Burley started.

Burley admits having the relationship with Mrs Auld but denies all of the allegations she has made against him, claiming she is trying to besmirch his character and reputation. The trial continues today.

Burley has been a Pegswood parish councillor for 10 years and chairman for the past seven years.

He is a former chairman of the village forum and was one of the people at the forefront of the campaign for a £9m village bypass, which opened last year.