Fareham husband leaves ex-wife 'exhausted' after stalking her as he failed to accept relationship was over

‘Obsessed’ Michael Deeley left his former partner ‘scared’ and worried about the lengths he would go to ‘find something not there’. Portsmouth Crown Court heard the 32-year-old’s behaviour became increasingly erratic and manipulating after the relationship ended in December 2020.

Deeley, who had been married to the woman since 2012, embarked on various tactics to keep tabs on the her from February 23 to July 17 last year. Prosecutor Rosanna Martin said Deeley grilled his wife on whose car had been at their family home he had moved out from after instructing a neighbour to take pictures of developments.

‘I feel exhausted and scared with him getting people to check up on me,’ the complainant said in a statement. ‘I feel like I am being stalked by Michael.’

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Deeley, of Nashe Way, Fareham, accused the woman of ‘seeing someone else’ amid interrogations which ranged from quizzing why she had bought takeaway pizza to how she could afford trainers. On one occasion he issued a missing person’s report to police before they found her. The female later noted she had 129 missed calls from him. ‘I feel he’s trying to keep track of me,’ the woman said.

The defendant, despite never being violent, would rifle through the dishwasher on occasions he was at the house and ask who had used the dirty items. He moved a bottle of vodka to monitor how much had been drunk. He bought a sim card and messaged his wife pretending to be someone called Jack. He also froze her bank account before questioning her on what she had spent.

As the primary carer of three of the children, Deeley ‘threatened to block’ his ex-partner from seeing them and made her late to work to ‘humiliate’ her when being obstructive over her having the children. The complainant said she was ‘afraid’ at Deeley’s ‘obsession’, which has ‘caused me to feel distressed’. She added: ‘I worry about the extent he will go to. He has no limits to find something not there’.

Deeley’s controlling behaviour took root after his wife took a job at Argos in 2018. It led to him bombarding the female and her colleagues with messages accusing her of an affair.

When questioned by police over his behaviour, Deeley said: ‘She’s a special girl, she can handle it.’ The defendant, who had no previous convictions to his name, had since moved on, Daniel Reilly, defending, said. ‘He struggled to cope with the end of the relationship,’ the barrister added.

Deeley’s coercive controlling behaviour spanned two years from October 1, 2019, to July 17, 2021. He also breached a non-molestation order on July 16 last year when calling his former partner three times which he was prohibited from doing.

The defendant, who admitted stalking, breaching a non-molestation order, and coercive controlling behaviour was spared jail by judge, Recorder Richard Tutt. He said Deeley was a ‘low risk of reconviction’ and had a ‘realistic prospect of rehabilitation’.

Deeley was handed a 15-month sentence suspended for 24 months. He must also complete 27 rehabilitation days and was given a restraining order.