Jarrow stalker sent family cheat threats to ex after email hack in Taiwan
A stalker hacked his ex's emails while on the other side of the world and sent damning messages to her contacts under her name.
Shane Taylor was 6,000 miles away in Taiwan when he accessed the woman's account in October last year and emailed her sister claiming to be confessing to having an affair with her husband.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Taylor also "bombarded" the victim with threatening, intimidating and distressing messages and calls during his stalking campaign.
He continued contact even after being arrested and bailed twice over his behaviour.
Prosecutor Joe Hedworth said: "On October 15 he hacked her email. The IP location was Taiwan.
"He sent messages to people pretending to be her."
The court heard her sister received emails appearing to be the victim confessing "she had been having an affair with her sister's husband."
Mr Hedworth added: "The complainant checked her account and saw the sent emails that she had not sent."
The court heard Taylor threatened to falsely report the woman for benefit fraud and warned her it was "going to get messy".
He also sent messages to the victim's sister warning "I swear I'm doing time for this" and "I'm going to go f***ing mental when I get home".
In a victim statement, the woman said: "I live in fear of my phone ringing, I cannot get on with my life.
"I don't feel safe in my home address.
"This has made me emotionally and physically ill."
Taylor, 47, of Durham Grove, Jarrow, South Tyneside, admitted stalking.
Mr Recorder Dapinder Singh KC sentenced him to three years and four months behind bars with a restraining order.