- The letters included accusations that she had offered cocaine and had committed fraud
- Edward Hall was found guilty of harassment and given a two-year conditional discharge
By
Emily Allen
07:18 EST, 2 August 2012
|
07:18 EST, 2 August 2012
The bitter ex-husband of a respected town mayor sent a string of malicious letters to smear her name and branded her a ‘drug-taking, swinging adulterer’, a court heard.
Edward Hall, 53, sent the poison notes to former wife Bernie Hall’s colleagues and the local press in May last year after their relationship ended.
The letters included accusations that she had offered lines of cocaine in a local pub and had committed fraud by running up debts on credit accounts after leaving him.
Dispute: Edward Hall, 53, left, sent the poison notes
to former wife Bernie Hall’s, right, colleagues and the local press last
year after their relationship ended
Truro Magistrates’ Court in Cornwall heard that Hall delivered six letters to Marazion Town Council, councillors and the local paper The Cornishman.
Hall, from Marazion, also sent letters to the Penwith Community Development Trust (PCDT), where Mrs Hall worked as head of community development.
When questioned on the witness stand, Mayor of Marazion Mrs Hall said the accusations were ‘a lot of lies’ and said she was ‘just trying to do a good job’.
In one letter sent to the PCDT Mr Hall wrote: ‘I’m going to expose your community youth manager for the damage she has done to my health.’
He was found guilty of harassment without violence towards his former wife at Truro Magistrates’ Court on Monday and given a two-year conditional discharge.
Truro Magistrates’ Court in Cornwall
heard that Hall delivered six letters to Marazion Town Council,
(pictured) and the local paper The Cornishman
Hall was also placed under a restraining order for the same period, meaning that he should not contact Mrs Hall during that time, and ordered to pay £100 in costs.
Mrs Hall is not accused of any criminal activity and denied any wrongdoing when questioned on the witness stand.
The court heard that Hall had previously been given a public order warning for protesting against Mrs Hall, carrying a banner which read: ‘The mayor is a just drug-taking, swinging adulterer’ a few days after she had been appointed mayor of the town in May 2011.
Hall said he did not realise the letters would cause distress to his former wife.
He said outside the court: ‘I’m very, very sorry that this has come to this. I would have hoped we could have sorted things out a lot sooner.
‘I accept that I have been found guilty for sending letters to the council.’
He added: ‘I hope one day that me and Bernie can greet each other in the way responsible people should do.’
Outside the court Mrs Hall said: ‘I just want to get on with my life, and now I can. That’s all I ever wanted to do – focus on my day job, my council work and my son.’
-
Shocked NBC viewers watch as Olympic water polo player…
-
How China trains its children to win gold – standing on a…
-
Pictured: The moment even the JUDGES’ jaws dropped as U.S….
-
The life expectancy map of America: Graphic reveals alarming…
-
Something borrowed, something a little bit blue… the…
-
Married mega-church pastor, 54, fired for ‘having sex with…
-
Ukrainian feminists stage topless protest near Tower Bridge…
-
OUCH! South Korean weightlifter takes gold for the worst…
-
Junior British diplomat identified as mysterious Westerner…
-
Battle lines drawn at Chick-fil-A: America divided over fast…
-
Revealed, Ryan Lochte’s secret family heartbreak: Swimming…
-
Is Denver the world’s cutest puppy? Loving owner captures…