A spurned husband has been spared jail for stalking his ex-wife and planting listening devices in her home.
Brian Wilkin, 68, sneaked into his ex’s house after getting some spare keys cut following the collapse of their 30-year of marriage.
He put the devices in her bedroom but was almost rumbled when her pet dog brought her one in its mouth, a court heard.
The marriage began to collapse in 2015 when Wilkin became obsessed that she had allegedly been unfaithful with one of her work colleagues.
Over the next four years his behaviour became increasingly obsessive and confrontational, putting a strain on the marriage.
In 2018, Wilkin lost his job and continuously kept tabs on where his wife was.
The pair eventually split and Wilkin moved out of the home they shared in Ely, Cambridgeshire, but she continued living there for six months.
During this time Wilkin sat in his car and monitored the house on a daily basis and peer over the fence.
The woman then bought her own home in nearby Soham, but this didn’t stop Wilkin’s obsessive behaviour.
He continued to watch her new house daily and make excuses to come and knock on the door.
The woman didn’t involve the police because she didn’t want to get him in trouble.
But Wilkin’s behaviour escalated to the point he would call her workplace and make accusations about an affair to other colleagues, or go to her place of work to confront her.
He was repeatedly spotted entering her house with a key by a neighbour, who threatened to call the police.
Then in early November last year, his ex was redecorating her bedroom when she discovered a black recording device taped to the back of her bedside drawer.
He was arrested on December 1 and his home was searched by officers, who discovered a recording device and two keys that fit the front door to her house.
Wilkin admitted stalking involving serious alarm or distress and was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years.
DC Ash Bryce, who investigated, said: ‘The lengths Wilkin went to in order to stalk and harass his ex-wife are nothing sort of extraordinary.
‘I can only imagine the horror the victim must have felt when she discovered the listening devices and that Wilkin had a key to her new home.
‘His truly shocking actions were completely unacceptable and I hope this sentencing sends a clear message that any type of stalking will not be tolerated in Cambridgeshire.’
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