Reading Magistrates' Court: Newbury man cleared of stalking after bombshell defence evidence

A MAN accused of stalking his partner has been acquitted after the defence dropped a bombshell during his trial.

The defendant had allegedly made his former lover's life a misery by bombarding her with unwanted calls, texts and visits and even sending her a photograph taken while she tried to enjoy a date with another man.

She asked the court to impose a restraining order to protect her from her supposed tormentor.

But the prosecution case unravelled after social media messages, reportedly sent by the alleged victim, portrayed her as a jealous woman scorned, who threatened love rivals and boasted: "You don't think, after he's been to court, he won't be back with me?"

In the dock at Reading Magistrates' Court on Friday, September 17, was Jamie Foster, who lives at Green Lane, Newbury.

He denied a charge of stalking, thereby causing serious harm, alarm or distress to Chloe Heneghan between June and July.

Ms Henaghan told the court how she was frightened of 28-year-old Mr Foster because he was a "massive cokehead" who was unpredictable when drunk.

She told magistrates he had turned up at her home in Gaywood Drive, Newbury, after discovering she had been on a date with another man and had knocked her to the ground.

Ms Henaghan claimed he then stole her iPhone and car keys and bombarded her with unwanted calls on another device.

But Martin Hennessy, defending, told her: "You're a liar. You're a liar, Ms Heneghan, aren't you?"

He then produced a series of screenshots from social media messaging between a woman Mr Foster had been seeing and a sender called 'Chloe Louise'.

In those messages, the sender wrote: "You thick, ugly, desperate f****** slag... you think you can go near my baby dad? It won't end well, I promise you."

The messages gave personal details of an incident in which Ms Heneghan had seen Mr Foster with the other woman, Chloe Cooper, and added: "You don't think, after he's been to court, he won't be back with me? Every time I click my fingers he comes back.

"When he gets off bail I'm going to s*** him."

"You ain't getting with him, Chloe. I ent (sic) letting it happen."

Amy King, prosecuting, intervened and asked whether it was necessary for the court to hear any more of the messages.

Magistrates insisted it was, because it gave them an insight "into the reliability of the witness [Ms Heneghan]."

Under cross examination from Mr Hennessy, Ms Heneghan initially denied the messages were from her, despite the amount of personal detail they contained about her, her sons and her recent meetings with Mr Foster.

She later said she couldn't remember sending them.

After branding her a liar, Mr Hennessy said: "Your objective was obviously, at the conclusion of these proceedings today, to resume your relationship with Mr Foster.

"None of this has caused you harassment, alarm or distress. What's angered you is the fact that Mr Foster has got a new girlfriend."

Mr Foster himself told magistrates: "I didn't call her repeatedly. She clearly wanted to be back with me and would threaten any girl I go near."

Under cross examination from Ms King, Mr Foster denied knocking Mr Heneghan to the floor outside her flat and said she had crouched down to stop him grabbing her car keys.

He said he was upset because they had been trying for a reconciliation yet she had been on a date with another man and lied to him about it.

Mr Foster was acquitted of the single charge.