4 days ago
Ex-boyfriend, 46, dodges jail after making solicitor's life 'living hell' with harassment campaign which included leaving her abusive voicemails and following her car
A solicitor was branded 'disgraceful' in a malicious online review and had her LinkedIn profile doctored by an ex-boyfriend who made her life a 'living hell' when she dumped him, a court heard.
Sara Gilak said Richard Ponniah tried to 'emotionally and professionally' break her during an unrelenting seven-week campaign of abuse.
A court heard the 46-year-old tried to smear Ms Gilak's reputation by writing a fake negative review about her conduct on her employers' Trustpilot page which led to Ms Gilak being suspended and her career placed in jeopardy.
Prosecutor Tom Wright said Ponniah also changed the family law specialist's LinkedIn profile photo to one of her making an 'offensive and rude' gesture and edited her page to state 'I pride myself on putting men down.'
The business development manager launched the harassment campaign in April last year after Ms Gilak ended the relationship after discovering Ponniah was using dating apps.
A judge was told that Ponniah's 'disgraceful' conduct included him sending her abusive voicemails and messages, following her vehicle on his electric skateboard and shouting outside the property they once shared while shouting 'whore' in view of the neighbours.
Mr Wright said Ms Gilak had to block him by the end of April because of the 'constant barrage of messaging' but his harassment, which also included pressing her buzzer continually for 45 minutes, continued.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard the victim had to take some time off work for compassionate leave following the death of her brother.
But when she returned to the office in early June, she was suspended over the one-star Trustpilot review which stated she was guilty of 'disgusting behaviour from a family solicitor'.
Mr Wright said that when the solicitor confronted Ponniah about the review he threatened to share videos of her.
In a victim impact statement read out, Ms Gilak described the 'significant harm and distress' he had caused.
She said: 'I was finding it hard to function due to the never-ending abuse and hounding, especially at a time I lost my brother. I was emotionally vulnerable but this was of no concern to Richard.
'His conduct took over the grief of losing my brother. I was living in constant fear as I knew he was out of control.
'I was extremely embarrassed on the occasions he shouted outside my window, neighbours and shopkeepers were witnesses.'
She described the incident where he rang the buzzer continuously for 45 minutes as 'horrendous' and said she felt trapped.
With his escalation to damage her career she said he was 'doing everything to emotionally and professionally break me'.
Ms Gilak added: 'I am more nervous and anxious, I'm currently receiving counselling and attempting to move forward.
'It's hard to comprehend the lengths he went to and had I not called the police I think he would have continued.'
Ponniah's own lawyer, Charles Gabb, called his behaviour 'disgraceful.'
He said Ponniah 'lashed out' because emotions came to the surface and he was unable to deal with it in a responsible manner.
He said: 'That's no excuse. For a grown man in his mid-40s to behave like that was disgraceful and I hope he hangs his head in shame.
'He needs to take a very long, hard look in the mirror.'
Ponniah, of Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to one charge of harassment.
Sentencing him last Friday, Judge Susan Evans said: 'Your efforts to threaten her career were highly embarrassing for her and stressful beyond belief.
'You used controlling and coercive behaviour at a time when her brother died and she was distressed already, you have made it far worse.'
She added that he had been 'dismissive and rude' to a probation officer when they had asked questions to put together a pre-sentence report.
But said she was 'just persuaded' not to send him to prison.
Ponniah was given a 12-week sentence suspended for 15 months and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and a three-month alcohol abstinence requirement.
Judge Evans warned him: 'I am not going to give you any second chances, if you breach that you will be going to prison.'
She also made an indefinite restraining order to protect Ms Gilak.
