Mother-of-two, 28, who dubbed herself the ‘Professional Vigilante’ and created a fake TikTok account falsely accusing her ex-boyfriend of abuse is slapped with a restraining order
- Sophie Hammonds pleaded guilty to harassing her former boyfriend
- She became upset after spotting posts online praising Mr Fordman as a father
- The bakery worker posted several videos to issue ‘warnings’ to other women
- He claims that he was abused in the street by people who had seen the footage
A young mother who dubbed herself the ‘Professional Vigilante’ on social media pleaded guilty to harassment after posting videos smearing her ex-boyfriend.
Sophie Hammonds, 28, created the fake account on TikTok to issue ‘warnings’ to other women about Paul Fordman.
Mr Fordman was accused of controlling behaviour towards Hammonds and stood trial last year, but was acquitted by a jury.
Bakery worker Hammonds, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, launched her malicious campaign in March, and branded her ex as an ‘abuser of women’.
The mother-of-two posted three videos under the banner ‘justice one way or another’, and included screenshots of Mr Fordman’s own social media with voiceovers.
She added his female friends so that they would see the videos, until Mr Fordman called the police claiming that he had been threatened in the street by people who had seen the footage online.
Sophie Hammonds, 28, set up the TikTok profile after spotting posts online about how good a father her ex-boyfriend was. The former couple have a five year old son together
She was handed a restraining order banning her from contacting Mr Fordman for two years. He was cleared last year of using controlling behavior against the young mum
Hammonds pleaded guilty to one count of harassment at Warrington Magistrates Court, and was handed a restraining order preventing her from contacting her former partner for two years.
In a statement Mr Fordman said: ‘I already suffer with severe mental health conditions and these strings of incidents have played terribly with my mental health.
‘I have barely eaten and I have struggled to go to sleep at night and I have been suffering panic attacks and nightmares. I felt anxious and extremely vulnerable and afraid of what Sophie will do next to me.
‘I have felt very vulnerable and helpless from these attacks. I have felt that I may be physically attacked in the streets and felt very afraid.
‘I have already been threatened with violence and approached in the street whilst with my children.’
The ex-couple share a five-year-old child, and the court heard that Hammonds became upset after spotting a post online congratulating him on being a good father.
Prosecutor Amie Gouldson said: ‘The messages which the defendant posted said the complainant was abusive to women, and said “he goes for young women he can take advantage of etc”.
‘She clearly wanted to cause distress. She has gone out of her way to create this fake account and add female friends in order to spread her message as far as she possibly could.
‘The recordings certainly had a harmful effect on Mr Fordman.’
Defending Hammonds, Chris Hunt claimed that her actions were not a ‘pure revenge attack’, and that she had ‘endured endless abuse’ from Mr Fordman.
He added: ‘She was upset not because of wanting revenge. She was concerned that others would be taken in. In retrospect she understands that what she did was wrong and that it constitutes harassment.
The mother-of-two posted three videos under the banner ‘justice one way or another’, and included screenshots of Mr Fordman’s own social media with voiceovers. She added his female friends so that they would see the videos
‘She endured endless abuse to the point where they actually charged it and took it all the way to trial.
‘The problem is that she felt she had not been believed and was not protected. There was no restraining order at the end.’
Hammonds was ordered to complete a 12 month community order, with 15 days rehabilitation, and was fined £80 with £180 in costs and a victim surcharge.
Chair of the magistrates’ bench, Andrew Brothers told her: ‘We know events leading up to this event have had a severe consequence on your health and your employability.
‘But whilst we can see that by posting the messages you intended to show your concern to other women, you can’t make those kinds of statements – and certainly not on social media.’
Source: Read Full Article
