A "creepy" stalker planted a tracker on his ex's car and made searches about "using acid". Neil Griffiths left his former partner Phillipa Davies mentally exhausted and constantly looking over her shoulder during the months-long campaign of stalking.

Mold Crown Court heard Griffiths, of Broxton Road in Wrexham, began the campaign following the breakdown of their relationship. The 44-year-old was found guilty after a trial in Wrexham Magistrates Court of stalking involving serious alarm/distress.

Prosecutor Karl Scholz said the pair were once schoolmates before they reconnected decades later when they both worked for the same company. Their relationship began in May 2022 before Ms Davies chose to end things in August and thought the best way forward was to cut all future contact.

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In mid-September, the prosecutor said Ms Davies said she was frightened by her ex appearing from behind a bush at around 6am as she was heading to her car. Griffiths said he only came to her street to wish her a good day but she believed his actions were "really creepy".

That same day, Ms Davies went to a concert in Manchester and had gone to a pub for a drink. Griffiths messaged her a photo of the pub she was in and commented how the music act "was not great".

The court heard how he also tried talking to her at the pub and, at one point, even picked up on the fact she seemed "very uncomfortable" with him. Ms Davies' ordeal wasn't over that night as she found the 44-year-old had raced back to Wrexham before her and was sat waiting on her doorstep claiming he "needed to talk" about their relationship.

The court heard that, in November, Ms Davies was on her way to work at about 6am when Griffiths quickly overtook her on the A483 before pulling in front of her and slowed down. He did the same thing on the A55 the same morning.

At this point, the court heard she had already felt the need to install CCTV cameras at her front door which caught Griffiths approaching her door, carrying something in his hands and bending down near her car. Mr Scholz said that Ms Davies suspected her ex had put a tracking device on the vehicle - something that he later admitted during his trial.

During the course of the trial, held earlier this year, the prosecution said Griffiths' internet history included searches on "how to use acid" and phosphorus as well as "ways to take revenge" and "ways to tamper with a car". He had also searched the local area for houses up for rent, the court heard.

Defending, John Wyn Williams, said his client was "struggling with his emotional health" following the breakdown of not just the relationship with Ms Davies but of a 16-year relationship that ended beforehand. He said Griffiths had "found it difficult to accept the relationship was over".

Judge Simon Mills said that Griffiths was "a grown man" and needed to respect that an anxiety-riddled Ms Davies wanted nothing more to do with him. He said: "Every single one of the things you did was wrong. I don't understand why you subjected this woman to that kind of behaviour.

"It got to the point where you were making internet searches about acid and revenge, it looks like you'd briefly formed the intention to throw acid on her car. What a ridiculous state of mind you got yourself into."

Before granting a lifelong restraining order that banned Griffiths from having any future contact with Ms Davies, the judge suspended his 18-month prison sentence for two years. He told the court that this was to help address Griffiths' work on his personal issues with the probation service and prevent the chances of future incidents like this.

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