Former Mayor of Whitehaven sentenced for stalking two women

A man who pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking has been sentenced today at Workington Magistrates Court.

Graham Roberts, 72, was given a 12-month community order with a 10-day rehabilitation requirement, fined £294 and given a 12-month restraining order.

Roberts wrote unwanted love letters intending them for a woman who worked in his local pub but sent them to the wrong woman.

He used his position as a councillor to access address information from the electoral role.

The woman receiving the letters was shocked to see them addressed to her using her full name. They included unsolicited comments about her figure and education, along with suggestions that she was his ‘soulmate’.

The victim described the fear of feeling someone was watching her and the impact on her life – including changing her routine and stopping running at night. The woman initially had no idea who the letters were from, until Roberts enclosed his business card. In her victim impact statement she explained that “I have been feeling very anxious and on edge. I have been constantly looking out of my window at nights to see if there is anyone there.”

When Roberts was arrested, in his police interview he accepted he had sent the letters thinking the woman whose details he had got from the electoral role was the person who he knew well from the local pub.

The intended recipient of the letters, who Roberts knew from the local pub, told the police that Roberts had continually asked to date her and persisted despite the fact that she had never accepted his invitation.

In her victim impact statement, she said: “This incident has left me feeling nervous and I no longer wish to see Graham in my place of work or come across him at all due to his behaviour. I want Graham to understand that his behaviour is unwanted and frankly odd and do not wish him to behave with anyone else in such a way.”

Rachel Parker, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Graham Roberts’ actions have caused two women a lot of anxiety and distress.

“After becoming infatuated with a woman, he abused his position as a councillor to access confidential records to try and find her address.

“He displayed obsessive conduct with the woman in his local pub and his behaviour escalated when he began sending love letters to the wrong address.

“The impact of Roberts’ behaviour is clear; both women were uncomfortable and anxious, and one woman was forced to change her daily routines, leaving her paranoid and mistrusting of others in her life.”

“The Crown Prosecution Service does not underestimate the serious and lasting impact stalking can have on victims and will not hesitate to prosecute these cases where there is sufficient evidence to do so.”