Couple ‘ruined man’s life’ by falsely calling him paedophile

Toni Parady and James Dobbie engaged in a ‘campaign of harassment’ against the victim, involving placing signs in his garden wrongly labelling him a pervert and throwing eggs at his house.

They also posted incorrect accusations about him on social media and told him that they would ‘never stop’.

The pair appeared for sentence at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday after Parady pleaded guilty to a charge of stalking involving fear of violence, while Dobbie admitted stalking involving serious alarm or distress.

Anna Price, prosecuting, explained how the victim was at the time their neighbour when they both lived together in Warrington.

The ‘campaign of harassment’ took place between the beginning of August last year and January this year, when they developed an assessment about him being a pervert and a paedophile – accusations which were completely false.

The defendants were in a relationship, with 28-year-old Dobbie moving in to live with Parady, aged 35, and her three children near the victim.

The grudge began after the complainant filmed an altercation between Parady and her ex-partner in the street in May last year, believing he was helping.

He sent the footage to the police, but it was Parady who ended up being prosecuted for a public order offence.

Toni Parady

She later found his Instagram account and became ‘enraged’ after realising he had posted about her in a sarcastic manner, with this ‘kickstarting the wide-ranging stalking campaign’.

This involved her and Dobbie shouting at him in the street, falsely accusing him of being a pervert and a paedophile, placing signs in his garden and throwing eggs at his windows.

The police intervened and warned the pair about their behaviour, but the campaign continued a day letter with more egg throwing and threats to put up more signs.

The pair also got children to knock on his front door, call him a paedophile and throw eggs at his home.

On one occasion, the victim had to wait for the defendants to leave so he could go out to do a food shop as he was scared.

When he returned, he found Dobbie in his front garden, who approached him and told him ‘nothing will ever stop me from calling you a paedophile’, while Parady called him a ‘nonce’.

The pair told everyone in the street that he was a paedophile and posted the accusations on social media, with Dobbie sending messages calling him ‘vile horrible scum’.

The victim’s mental and physical health deteriorated as he felt unsafe going out to collect medication, and he stopped living at home for four months out of fear, instead living in poor-standard temporary accommodation and later putting his house up for sale.

James Dobbie

In their first police interview in September last year, the defendants repeated their accusations and said they would not stop as they thought they were doing nothing wrong.

The pair were forced to leave their home due to a closure order, with Parady allowed to return to feed her fish on Christmas Eve, with police present.

There was a brief period when she was unsupervised by officers, during which she went up to the victim’s house and knocked on his front door.

She subsequently breached bail conditions by returning to the street on January 8, while Dobbie was arrested on January 18 after posting on social media under a false name falsely accusing the victim of preying on vulnerable women.

In a statement, the victim said he feared for his own safety and his property, was left anxious and depressed and was too afraid to use his own home because of the abuse suffered, which has had a ‘devastating effect’.

Ms Price revealed to the court that both defendants have two previous convictions for two offences.

Philip Tully, defending Parady, said that his client accepts that she acted inappropriately and wanted to express through him her genuine remorse.

He added that she would benefit from support and guidance from the probation service, and that she has been in custody for two months already and has no intention of committing any further offences.

In defence of Dobbie, Estelle Parkhouse stated that he ‘lost judgement and perspective and acted out of character’.

Toni Parady and James Dobbie were jailed at Chester Crown Court

She spoke of how the landscape gardener spent five years in the army and served his country in Afghanistan.

“He has had plenty of time to reflect on his behaviour and wants to offer through me his sincere apologies to the complainant,” she commented.

Before sentencing, recorder Phil Barnes said that the pair conducted a ‘campaign of victimisation and revenge’ – something he ‘did not deserve’.

“Had you both heeded the warnings of the police and stayed away, your mitigation would have been greater, but you did not,” he said.

“The nature of the offences leads me to the view that no sentence other than immediate custody can be justified.

“You took the law into your own hands and ruined the life of an innocent man.”

Parady, of Parker Street in the town centre, and Dobbie, were both jailed for 12 months.

They must also abide by a restraining order not to approach or contact the victim in any way for five years.