A stalker hell-bent on revenge sent pornographic pictures of his ex to his daughter, a court heard today.
Blair Addison, 46, who uses they/them pronouns, sent tens of thousands of messages to their ex Derek Clarke in the six months after they split up, alternating between “love bombing” and threatening him.
These included chilling threats to throw him off a balcony or strangle him – as well as saying they would put up posters with false claims he was a paedophile around his home address.
Prosecuting at Lewes Crown Court today, Naomi Edwards said the pair’s break-up in early 2023 was initially amicable and Mr Clarke invited them to his 60th birthday party in March that year.
But after a series of abusive messages, Mr Clarke told Addison they were no longer welcome – inadvertently unleashing months of abuse.
This began with accusations he was uninviting Addison because of his gender status. Over the following days, Addison would regularly send more than 100 abusive messages a day, including footage of the hotel his family were staying in for his party, pictures of Addison getting ready for the party and sexually explicit messages.
In April, Addison sent voicemails directed at Mr Clarke’s ex-wife on the number of one of her work colleagues. In June, she received Facebook messages from them calling her and her children’s life pathetic.
Miss Edwards said: “This was all encompassing. It involved his family and friends as well and clearly that has had an impact on him as well, knowing that other people have been drawn into this.
“One of his children is the subject of the second charge. Mr Clarke’s daughter was sent 15 explicit photographs of her father by the defendant via WhatsApp along with texts and voicenotes. She immediately recognised Addison’s voice.
“She received the images on one day without any warning. One of the texts said: ‘Your father lied to me. I feel sorry for you and your sister. I believe he’s a paedophile.'”
By May, Addison was sending disturbing death threats. One said: “I could come over and smash the fucking shit out of you, you know that, don’t you, and there’s nothing I would love more than to fucking kill you, to shove you off the balcony.
“I would delight in seeing the last breathing coming from your mouth as I fucking strangle you.”
Around the same time, there was an attempt to break into Mr Clarke’s flat. Mr Clarke had changed his routine, including medical appointments, in an attempt to avoid Addison.
When Mr Clarke returned home from his birthday party in May, he found a piece of metal inserted in his lock so he couldn’t get in and a gift bag from Addison hanging over the handle.
This prompted Mr Clarke to report Addison to the police for the first time – but even after they had been arrested, interviewed and bailed, the messages and calls continued for a while.
Eventually they stopped for a few months, and police dropped the case – but in December they restarted and Addison was again sending about a hundred messages a day.
Addison also sent a sexually graphic video of the two of them, which made Mr Clarke fear he would send it to someone else. At the same time, Addison was making contact with friends of Mr Clarke on social media.
Eventually, Addison was arrested on Thursday 28 December and the abuse finally stopped.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Mr Clarke said the abuse had left him afraid of his own shadow and ruined two significant family milestones – his 60th birthday and the birth of his first grandchild.
The constant messages had also left his phone unusable, he said.
When he had travelled to Australia to meet his first grandchild, Addison was sending him at least 100 messages, with more than 300 sent on the worst day.
He said: “It caused immense stress and anxiety during what should have been a joyous occasion. I’m shattered to know it’s affected my children.
“When my daughter came to visit me, she didn’t feel safe staying at my home which had been her home for nine years and a space I had so tried to make safe and welcoming. That’s been taken away.
“When they threatened to send pornographic images of me to my daughter, I thought they wouldn’t go that far but they did.”
“Being a dad you always want to protect your children and I feel guilty I couldn’t protect them from someone I let into their lives.
“Before Blair, I was outgoing and relaxed. Now, I am withdrawn, reluctant to go out and constantly on edge.
“I know I will be changed forever but I hope to regain some semblance of my former life.”
Defending, Richard Reilly asked the judge to take into account Addison’s neurodiversity which he argued should reduce his culpability.
He said: “The defendant is very much in a different place now. There’s been a vast improvement and I have had the privilege to meet with the defendant on many occasions and they seem in a far better place.
“It was very concerning watching those recordings [in which Addison threatened Mr Clarke]. They were clearly labouring under emotional stress, doubtless exacerbated by drug use which blighted their life for some time.”
Sentencing, Judge Mark Van der Zwart said while he accepted Addison’s neurodiversity reduced his culpability, the offences were still serious enough to warrant a prison sentence.
Referencing the revenge porn sent to Mr Clarke’s daughter, he said: “That was a vicious thing to do, and you also sent disturbing messages to Mr Clarke’s ex-wife.
“His daughter and his ex-wife have nothing to do with this. Nevertheless they, together with Mr Clarke, were caused significant anguish and humiliation by that action of revenge porn.”
He said the graphic video sent in December was clearly meant as a threat to send more revenge porn.
Referencing a letter of apology Addison had written which was given to the court, Judge Van der Zwart said it was striking the one person not mentioned in that was Mr Clarke.
It’s clear to me you were obsessed with taking revenge on Derek Clarke for ending the relationship with you. You didn’t care who it affected.
“You now blame him for your actions and paint yourself as the victim.
“No one is to blame for these crimes but you.
“Offences such as these are all too easy to commit using social media and the press of an icon but the effects on victims and their families are corrosive and cause significant harm.
“Only a custodial sentence can be justified.”
However, he said that bearing in mind Addison’s neurodiversity and a pre-sentence report which said he would be at significant risk of harm in prison, it would be justified to suspend the sentence.
He sentenced them to 16 months for the charge of stalking involving fear of violence and eight months for disclosing private sexual photographs – both reduced by a third to take into account Addison’s early guilty plea.
He ordered Addison to undertake 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and pay £150 costs.
He also imposed a five-year restraining order preventing Addison from contacting Mr Clarke or his family or posting about them online.
The sentencing remarks were briefly halted when a friend of Addison’s in the public gallery raised his hand to protest at Judge Van der Zwart’s inadvertent use of the wrong pronoun.
Maybe them/they should go back to being one person and not a plural, and perhaps them/they wouldn’t be a total lunatic.
Reports like this still need to make it clearer what sex the perpetrator is (in this case male). This is relevent, however they may identify.
The perpetrator claiming victimhood and getting a reduced sentence after behaving like that because they are neurodivergent and would be at risk in prison, displays once again this communities cry bully tactics and how it continues to benefit them. Why should he expect/get concessions when he clearly didn’t give his victims any.
Only a custodial sentence can be justified.”
However, he said that bearing in mind Addison’s neurodiversity and a pre-sentence report which said he would be at significant risk of harm in prison, it would be justified to suspend the sentence.
This boils my blood.
What about the ‘risk of harm’ the victim endured. What about the ‘risk of harm’ his ex wife and daughters endured.
This so called they/them should be locked up so ‘he’ can see what fear is all about.
I’m sure he’d get a lovely welcome on arrival.
Meanwhile down on fraggle rock, it’s a man in a dress,
couldn’t quite get a grasp of the meaning in this story due to weird pronouns. And frankly, after the first few paragraphs. I could no longer be arsed to try.
If you are a they/them in this case a man in a dress you are simply living a fetish (notice the facial hair and hairy legs)
If you fully make an effort to look like a woman and respect the way they look ( no facial hair , shaved legs etc etc) then respect to you and be that person., no one cares.
But you blokes walking round with dresses on using girls toilets and changing rooms, not even bothering to use a woman’s voice, and looking like a freak show, you guys are playing out your fetish in the open and should be locked up. You look disgusting and a disgrace to someone who is making a full effort to look a woman.
The they / them concept is the people that are not making any effort , too lazy , and most of the time some attention seeking Gen Z .
I wonder when we will stop normalising this freak show? Amongst other things
he decided to play the gender card. was not known as they/them who gives a care before the case. he sent revenge porn to a daughter, who was not known to him. i’m sure it took years for this to go to court, and the victims did not get their justice.
should have been sent to jail. no matter what he/they/she / them identify as
Police should have charged him first time around. Judge was also far to soft. He should be barred from having a phone for the duration of the suspended sentence as well as a GPS tag that alerts the victim of the stalkers presence
They/ them describes a group of people not a single person who needs medical attention.
This is awfull, what is A 60 year old man who has a wife and adult children,.
Having a relationship with a transperson in the first place
It’s obvious that this old man used the younger one to make his life seem more interesting
Why didn’t he inform the whole family block their mobile number and social media
I don’t believe a 46 yr old person should be dating someone 64 it looks sad seeing old people trying to have relationships with younger partners