A FORMER North Yorkshire Police inspector who admitted stalking his ex-partner has been spared an immediate prison sentence.

Garry Ridler, 51, served with the force for 24 years before retiring in February last year, but was today sentenced for stalking his former partner of 14 months.

The court heard Ridler - who had also seen active service with the British Army and is a standard bearer with the Royal British Legion - suffered "something of a breakdown" in 2013, and bombarded the woman with text messages and anonymous emails, sent false information to the NSPCC about the care of her children, and told her to warn her new partner "there's a storm ahead".

Leeds Crown Court heard the woman received abusive and malicious emails, which Ridler told her he had also received. He also told her he had asked his "friends at work" to look into the source of the emails. When they went for dinner in November 2013, she recorded their conversation as he became drunk and went from being calm to shouting at her while they discussed her new partner.

Ridler later contacted the woman with a number of messages, including one which read: "Tell your boyfriend to check his messages on Facebook. Tell him there's a storm ahead."

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said: "No-one is above the law and if there is evidence of an offence, we will take the necessary action.

"North Yorkshire Police take all allegations of stalking and harassment seriously and victims should feel confident that their reports will be fully investigated."

In December, the woman and her partner went out and observed Ridler following them on a number of occasions, and on January 6 he sent her 29 texts in a single day. The court heard this was her first day at a new job, and the intensity and number of messages had impacted on her ability to work.

Also in January, an anonymous letter was sent to the NSPCC and later referred to the social services, which claimed the woman was "drinking a bottle of rum a day", using cocaine, and leaving her children unattended while she held parties downstairs. A similar letter sent to the letting agent led to a home visit, which found the anonymous information was completely false.

Police later found Ridler's fingerprint on one of the letters, and he was arrested, but in interview the court heard he "blamed the complainant and painted her as obsessive".

Nick Adlington, prosecuting, read a victim impact statement to the court which said Ridler's actions - which took place over six months at the end of 2013 and beginning of 2014 - had "a devastating effect" on the complainant, who had sought medical assistance for physical and mental ailments caused by the events, and whose children had been forced to change schools on during the harassment.

Mr Menary said Ridler - who has been suspended from the British Legion pending sentencing - had been "a man of exemplary good character", had suffered from PTSD, fallen into alcohol abuse, and struggled with the breakdown of the relationship.

Mr Menary said: "His exemplary conduct in both professional and personal life has all now been thrown away.

"His attitude to the offence is that he is disgusted with himself at the way he behaved and is sorry."

Judge Guy Kearl QC gave Ridler credit for admitting his crimes and preventing the woman having to give evidence, and sentenced him to a three month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He told Ridler "there is much credit in the bank for your work on behalf of society", but "you have withdrawn all of the credit you have built up today".

Judge Kearl QC said: "When you needed support as a result of PTSD, she was there and provided support for you. You were off work at that time through sickness, through mental illness. You were lonely and you were isolated as this was going on. It is plain that you had mental health issues at the time of these offences.

"If you come back before the court again, the sentence will start at three months and work itself up from there. I assure you that if there are any further problems then you will be coming back before me and I will send you to prison. This is an opportunity for you but mark my words if you come back before me having done anything to that woman or her children, then you know what is going to happen."

Ridler was also given a supervision order for two years, and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,500 and a victim surcharge.

*Support for victims of stalking is available through Paladin, the National Stalking Advocacy Service on 0207 8408960.

____________

RIDLER served with North Yorkshire Police for 24 years, prior to his retirement in February 2014.

He was a member of the fraud squad which investigated the collapse of Challenor Property Development Limited, and helped imprison its bosses Christopher Douglas, formerly of Naburn and central York, and Richard Hodgson, formerly of Nether Poppleton, for a fraud of more than £2 million.

As a Detective Sergeant in 2010, he was praised for his year-long international investigation into a scam to sell the Ritz Hotel in London for more than £250m.

His work saw Anthony Lee, from Beal near Selby, convicted for obtaining £1m payment by deception, after he took part in a scam targeting victims who were interested in buying trophy properties.

His work on the investigation was praised at the time by the head of North Yorkshire Police's financial investigation unit, who said Ridler was "a credit to himself, his profession and to North Yorkshire Police".