Tristian Smith, a former special constable who tried to frame his ex-girlfriend for a series of fake attacks on his home has been jailed for four years and nine months. He was found guilty following his trial at Maidstone Crown Court. Paul Valder appeared for the prosecution.
The defendant, an IT masters graduate who volunteered with Kent Police, waged a prolonged 'hate-filled vendetta' against his ex-girlfriend following the end of their relationship in 2017.
He hacked her Facebook and email accounts, 'spoofing' her phone number as well as those of her mother and stepfather to send abusive messages to himself and a mutual friend, the court was told.
He then repeatedly lied to police colleagues by inventing sinister break-ins at his home in which he daubed the word 'die' over exterior walls and claimed to have fought off masked intruders armed with a knife and baseball bat.
When his attempts to rekindle their relationship failed, he embarked on his bid for revenge, said prosecutor Paul Valder.
Judge Martin Huseyin branded the defendant a 'highly self-centred' attention seeker who engaged in 'really wicked and vengeful' campaign of harassment:
'You were indulging in a fantasy with yourself as the victim. You have been and you are a controlling and manipulative individual,' he said.
'You were prepared to do serious damage to others to satisfy your own individual needs. 'Miss Clark-Hughes has been deeply and profoundly affected.'
The case has been reported in the Daily Mail and KentOnline.
Paul Valder is an experienced barrister who prosecutes and defends crime at all levels. He is a CPS level 4 appointed advocate and appears in cases that demand his level of experience and expertise. Paul has particular experience in MTIC cases, complex frauds and white-collar crime work. As a consequence he is regularly instructed in complex confiscation post conviction.
