A MAN has been found not guilty of stalking his ex-partner and her mother.
Michael Jones, 65, of Llanwnnen, was on trial at Swansea Crown Court charged with two offences of stalking causing serious alarm or distress.
It was alleged that he stalked his ex-partner by following her and attempting to contact her between August 2022 and January last year, whilst he was also accused of following her mother and showing up at her place of work between July 2022 and February last year.
After just over two hours of deliberations, the jury returned not guilty verdicts on both charges.
“Thank you very much members of the jury,” said Judge Huw Rees.
“What’s obvious is you took care over it and you made your decision having carefully considered the evidence.
“Michael Jones, you are discharged from this indictment and you are free to go.”
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Jones had been accused of driving past his ex-partner’s father’s home whilst she was there, and on one occasion it was alleged that he slowed down and told the complainant ‘I would never hurt you’ as he drove past.
The prosecution further accused Jones of waiting in a car park next to his ex-partner’s mother’s place of work, where he would stare at her place of work.
Regan Walters, prosecuting, said the complainants’ continued sightings of Jones caused them “to fear that the defendant was actively looking for them”.
During his closing speech, defence counsel James Hartson described the case as “about as preposterous case of stalking as you will ever come across”.
“You can’t avoid other people in our vicinity,” the defendant had said, adding that there were only two routes to Lampeter
“He lives in between where both of [his ex-partner’s] parents happen to live,” Mr Hartson said.
He added that Jones was likely to come across the complainants because he lived and worked in the area.
“The prosecution did ask him why he didn’t take an 11-mile detour. Why would he?,” Mr Hartson said.
“He said he had not sought them out,” Judge Rees said during his summing up of the evidence.
Jones also gave evidence that he had been in the car park by the second complainant’s place of work to see his relatives – who were also there.
The defendant was reported to the police on September 25, 2022. When officers went to speak to him, body-worn camera footage showed Jones running from the police and handing something to his partner.
Mr Walters alleged that Jones “ran from the police officers and handed his phone to his partner and told her to hide it”.
“65 years old,” Mr Hartson said. “He’s not going to outrun the cops.”
Following the verdict, the defendant's solicitors issued a statement on his behalf.
“Mr Jones would like to thank his family, friends and neighbours for their support in this difficult time,” they said.
“He was pleased that the jury were able to reach their verdict so quickly, confirming as he had stated throughout of his innocence to the entire allegation.”
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