A woman who subjected an ex-boyfriend’s mother to a vendetta of harassment, including posting lies on Facebook about child abuse, has been spared jail.
Rebekah Holman, from Deal, waged a “persistent and sophisticated” campaign which led to her victim being tricked into attending Dover police station in the false belief she was to be questioned about the allegations.
Canterbury Crown Court heard the 35-year-old was warned about her behaviour, picking up an official caution in the process, but simply vowed to continue to “terrorise”.
Then, when she was finally arrested, Holman smeared bodily fluids in the police van and blood on her cell walls before tying a bra around her neck and kicking an officer to the chest as he went to remove it.
She even managed to slip out of her handcuffs while en route to custody and conceal them in an intimate part of her body.
Holman later pleaded guilty to harassment, criminal damage and assault of an emergency worker.
Appearing for sentence on Friday (June 20), prosecutor Rebecca McKnight said the initial contact between the two women in January this year was “amicable” and instigated by the defendant when she “reached out”, accusing the victim’s son of stealing from her and being abusive.
At the time, the victim did not know Holman, who according to her social media profile is a singer and songwriter.
But having learnt of the relationship with her son, she did offer, along with her husband, to help Holman.
However, Ms McKnight said matters “took a turn for the worse” when allegations of stalking and harassment were made against the woman’s son and she subsequently asked Holman when she phoned not to contact the family anymore.
In response, the court heard Holman said she would “carry on terrorising and harassing” her former boyfriend.
She followed this up with claims that he had told her he had had “a terrible childhood”, with periods of abuse and his mum drinking and taking drugs.
“That was not accurate and she (the victim) was upset by those allegations,” said the prosecutor.
“She is very clear that the allegations concerning his childhood are not true.”
The harassment continued into February with Holman branding her victim “a lying, nasty, evil b***h’ and threatening to “tell everybody” about the false claims.
She also messaged her on WhatsApp to again accuse her son of stealing and then sent a photo of them together with Holman’s “finger sticking up”, the court heard.
This was followed by a message saying she hoped the victim would be “haunted in her sleep” by their “psychotic blue eyes”, and then sent a screenshot of Holman’s Facebook status making allegations about the mum being abusive.
The court was told the victim had tried to block Holman’s number but without success due to a fault with her phone.
However, it was on February 10 that she took a call from a withheld number purporting to be from a ‘PC Smith’ asking her to attend Dover police station “because members of the public had seen a post online about her abuse of her son”, explained Ms McKnight.
It was only on arriving at the station the next day that she learnt police had not made any such contact with her.
She then received a call, again from a withheld number but recognised Holman’s voice as she asked how the meeting with the officer had gone before branding her “a c**t” and laughing, continued the prosecutor.
The final contact was on February 12 when Holman sent an abusive message, calling the victim a “stupid, evil b***h” and saying “I hope you all, apart from your husband, go to hell and burn”.
It was this that led to Holman being arrested and, as she was being taken to Folkestone police station, she freed herself from her handcuffs, slipped them into her trousers and then inserted them into her body before smearing bodily fluids on the van cell.
Once in custody, she spread further bodily fluids, including menstrual blood, around her cell walls and stuck a sanitary product in the door hatch, the court heard.
“The defendant then placed a bra around her neck and when officers tried to remove it, she kicked out at one officer in the chest, although no visible injuries were caused,” added Ms McKnight.
The victim was said to have been left feeling “very uncomfortable and intimidated” by the “unwanted contact” that had persisted over four weeks.
During that time Holman was twice spoken to by police, and also landed herself with a caution for harassment.
Although it was said by both the prosecution and defence that Holman, of Church Path, Deal, had been suffering from mental health issues, no details were provided in open court.
Following her arrest, she spent 35 days in custody and then, once granted bail by the court, 95 days on qualifying tagged curfew.
Her lawyer at the sentencing hearing said Holman had not committed any further offences and “progress was being made” in terms of her mental health.
Urging the court to hand the defendant a conditional or absolute discharge, Kerry Waitt told the court: “She has had an opportunity to reflect and acknowledge she needs help and support in that regard.
“She has experienced custody for the first time in her life and it is not something she has enjoyed or wishes to return to.”
Then, referring to time spent in custody and on a tag, he added: “I submit she has been punished already and has demonstrated her ability to conform and comply and make progress.”
On passing sentence, however, Judge Sarah Counsell said that although Holman would not be locked up, the offending was too serious to be marked in the way her barrister had invited the court, and that further support from the probation service was needed.
Imposing a four-month community order, she told Holman as she stood in the dock with her arms folded and swaying from side to side: “You engaged in what was particularly unpleasant behaviour towards the mother of someone you had become close with.
“You accused her of some particularly upsetting matters. You were abusive, threatening, and continued to contact her when she asked you not to.
“Some of your methods were sophisticated, including pretending to be a police officer advising her to go to the police station.
“You also posted material on Facebook and continued with your harassing behaviour…Your attention to (the victim) was persistent and sophisticated.”
Judge Counsell said Holman’s offending was “aggravated” by her behaviour and actions while in custody.
As part of her sentence, she was ordered to undertake up to 20 rehabilitation activity requirements and made subject to a five-year restraining order.
