Woman stalked her ex-lover and accused him of rape after he returned to his wife

A fitness trainer began stalking a man and accusing him of rape after their “casual” relationship broke down and he returned to his wife.

Rebecca Hooper, 43, and Brian Townsend, 47, made their victim’s life hell after contacting friends and family claiming he raped Hooper and branding him a “Predator”. Townsend also turned up at the victim’s home and workplace and placed tracking devices on his car.

At sentencing at Newport Crown Court, it was revealed that Hooper met the victim at Bridgend Life Centre, where she worked, and they began a “casual relationship” which he described as “friends with benefits”. However, the relationship ended after he got back together with his wife.

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Prosecutor Christopher Evans said Hooper called the victim and asked him to resume their previous sexual relationship and sent her text messages several times a day. She commented on Facebook posts relating to his son and looked at photos dating back several years. The victim’s wife received a friend request from the defendant and commented on her posts, WalesOnline reports.

As a result of her behaviour, the victim blocked Hooper on social media and WhatsApp and prevented him from sending messages to his phone. She told him her partner Townsend had found messages between them and was “upset” by it. The victim told her he wanted nothing to do with it and ended the conversation, but he began receiving abusive phone calls from Townsend accusing him of being a rapist.

In June 2023, Townsend showed up at the victim’s home, spoke to his adult daughter, verbally abused her and called her father a “sexual predator.” Hooper’s mother also called the victim and accused him of forcing her daughter to have sex with him. Two of the victim’s friends also received messages from Hooper asking for his address and his partner’s details.

One day, the victim discovered that a tire on the van had been deliberately slashed, and two weeks later, a co-worker saw Hooper tampering with the victim’s van. When the van was checked, it was discovered that it had a tracking device registered to Townsend that collected information such as coordinates and speeds.

The victim’s wife later received a letter from Hooper stating that she had mental health issues and accused the victim of raping her. She was upset and the victim was left “stomach-churning” after learning of the allegation.

Hooper then made an online complaint to the Metropolitan Police, who referred the case to South Wales Police. The victim was arrested and questioned, but no further action was taken. The victim vehemently denied the allegations and the court found no evidence that she had done anything wrong.

After his release from custody, the victim continued to be abused by the defendants, both of whom drove past him on several occasions and gave him the middle finger. The tires of his van were further damaged and the victim was fined for failing to attend swimming lessons that Hooper had booked without his knowledge.

Mr Evans said: “This behaviour caused (the victim) great distress and paranoia. He was constantly on the lookout for them. He began taking different routes and his journeys became longer than normal.”

“He deactivated his social media accounts so the defendants could not contact him and stopped going to the swimming pool, the gym and his son’s rugby games. He and his family were greatly affected by the rape complaint.”

The defendants, both of Llangewydd Avenue in Bryntirion, Wales, were arrested in October 2023. Both denied everything under questioning but later pleaded guilty to stalking. The court heard they were both previously of good character.

In a victim’s personal statement read out in court, the victim said: “The last 12 months have been hell for me and my family. The suffering will continue to be with us today and into the future. I don’t think we will ever recover from this horrific crime, something I never wanted to experience. I am emotionally devastated. My family is devastated. I wake up in sweats, can hardly sleep and am constantly paranoid and worried about my family.”

“She accused me of rape – that’s not true and it was reflected in the outcome of the investigation, but it will stick to me like dirt. It breaks my heart every day as I worry about what people might say because of her actions.”

“I’m always looking over my shoulder and I’m paranoid. My partner and I very rarely go out in public. We ask if people know us, what they’ve been told and if they’re going to tell us anything. Our quality of life has been severely affected. Our whole life has had to change, our safe space has been violated and my home has been abused.”

In mitigation, the court heard Hooper had mental health issues and was suspected of having neurodiverse disorders but was undiagnosed. Her lawyer Giles Hayes said she had been unable to cope with the end of the relationship and described her behaviour as “dangerous and irresponsible”. It was said Townsend had accepted that his emotions had “got the better of him” and his behaviour was “unacceptable”.

Passing sentence, Judge Neil Owen-Casey described Hooper’s behaviour as an “extreme reaction to the breakdown of a relationship”. He said: “I am afraid there is no evidence of remorse in this case.”

Hooper was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, up to 12 days of mental health supervision and 15 days of rehabilitation activity, as well as pay £500 compensation and £150 costs.

Townsend was also sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment, suspended for four months, and ordered to pay £500 compensation and £150 costs. Both defendants were given ten-year restraining orders.