Jail for Scarborough stalker Aaron Bailey, who inflicted 'mental torture' on his terrified victim

During the “bizarre” harassment campaign, Aaron Bailey, 37, turned up at her home and left her gifts including plants and even a microwave, York Crown Court heard.

His relentless quest for her attention amounted to “mental torture”, the court was told.

“Unfortunately, he started to leave her unwanted gifts and attended (her) office,” said prosecutor Annie Richardson. The woman only knew Bailey through her work.

The first offering was a bag of chocolates, which came with a message that it was “because of how I was the other day”.

Bailey continued to “shower her with gifts”, some of which he had evidently taken from a female relative.

He then sent the terrified victim a letter proclaiming that she was his girlfriend. After a brief lull, he got back in touch with her claiming they were in a sexual relationship.

Postcard from prison

In July 2020, he sent her a postcard from prison. After being released from jail in February 2021, he left some flowers and a plant on her car. He then sent a Valentine’s card to her home, telling her: “I love you.”

Bailey was arrested on March 4 last year but denied the allegations.

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The victim said the stalking had had a profound effect on her life. She had previously been a confident person but was now always on high alert.

Her work life had suffered and the fact that someone had been “watching me” had frightened her and her family so much that she had been locking her doors at all hours and was initially too afraid to even open her blinds.

Bailey, of St Nicholas Street, was due to appear for sentence after pleading guilty to stalking the woman between June 2019 and March 2021. However, he refused to come out of his cell.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, decreed that he would be sentenced in his absence.

Ms Richardson said Bailey had been involved in previous harassment incidents including one on 2012 when he sent a woman “creepy” text messages “of a sexual nature” and sent texts to her neighbour claiming that he and the victim were in a sexual relationship.

In 2013, he turned up at the home of another woman and “solicited” her, telling her he was in love with her.

In 2015, he “stared in” through a female neighbour’s window and when she told him to go away, he attacked her.

'Sexual fantasies'

In February 2018, a woman received a series of unsolicited letters from Bailey after they had a brief conversation about the sale of a motorbike. The letters, in which Bailey expressed his “sexual fantasies”, were sent to her home and addressed to “the occupier and my gorgeous, sexy friend”.

The woman informed police but still Bailey persisted, turning up at her home with a hamper of wine, chocolates and sweets. Days later, he turned up on her doorstep with a bunch of red roses, “demanding to know the state of their ‘relationship’”.

Bailey then started to threaten her and her boyfriend, sending her letters from prison warning her he would smash up her property with a claw hammer and kill her and her partner.

In April last year, he was convicted of criminal damage after causing “extensive” damage to a dental practice after more outrageous and untrue claims.

He had other previous convictions for threatening behaviour, possessing a knife, assaults and an incident in December 2019 when he was seen waving a spade around in Scarborough.

Nick Peacock, mitigating, said that Bailey, who had sacked his previous team of solicitors, clearly had mental-health issues but had not been diagnosed with a specific mental illness.

He had been recalled to prison in March last year following his arrest for stalking and had remained in custody on remand.

Judge Mr Morris described Bailey’s behaviour as “utterly bizarre” and said he “clearly has a personality disorder”.

“This was a form of mental torture on this lady whose life has been completely turned upside down,” he added.

“Once this kind of stalking takes place, all it takes is sometimes a single flower to be left on a doorstep to create terror and the defendant has got a record for it.”

Bailey was jailed for two-and-a-half years and given a 10-year restraining order to protect the victim.