Injunction on ex-lover breached by former councillor
Feb 24 2009 by Dave Black, The Journal
A VETERAN former councillor who waged a campaign of harassment against his ex-lover has admitted breaching a court-imposed order to stay away from her.
Jim Burley, 72, the former chairman of Pegswood Parish Council in Northumberland, pleaded guilty yesterday to breaching the injunction in August last year, when he was seen going down Sharon Auld’s street in the passenger seat of his brother’s car.
However, the prosecution decided to offer no evidence on a second charge of breaching the order after viewing CCTV footage of the alleged incident, in which Burley was said to have threatened Ms Auld outside a Morpeth supermarket in the same month.
The 12-month restraining order, which bans him from contacting or going near Ms Auld, was imposed by magistrates in Bedlington last March, after Burley was found guilty of a five-month campaign of harassment against her.
During his relationship with Ms Auld, 37, he twice left his wife to move in with her. His behaviour included making a number of silent telephone calls to her home and mobile and shouting and threatening her in the street.
Last December it was revealed he had been charged with two counts of breaching the injunction.
Yesterday at Newcastle Crown Court Judge Beatrice Bolton said: “He should have known far, far better than to behave like this in the first place. She was an old man’s folly for which he has paid dearly. He should be thoroughly ashamed of himself. The police have much more to do with their valuable time than this. If he comes to this court again, and he goes anywhere near her, he will be going out of the back door.”
The court was told that Burley was spotted by Ms Auld’s 14-year-old daughter near their home in Charles Street, Pegswood, in August. He was a passenger in his brother’s car and Ms Auld contacted police immediately.
Last night Burley, of West View, Pegswood, said he was relieved that the charge of threatening Ms Auld outside the Morrisons supermarket in Morpeth had been dropped.
“The CCTV footage showed this simply didn’t happen and I was always confident it would be thrown out. I am relieved but also angry that it has gone on for so long and ever got to court.”
Burley said he had always admitted the breach of the injunction when he was in his brother’s car. “This was just a technical breach because he was driving around the estate and went into Charles Street before I could do anything about it. It was not my fault,” he added.
Burley, who resigned as parish council chairman following his conviction in March, was yesterday given a six-month conditional discharge for breaching the order.
