A jilted lover took revenge on her former partner by posting dead mice through the letter box of her Warrington home, a court heard.
Eleanor Hepburn could not cope with the break-up of her relationship and began a stalking campaign involving bombarding her with phone calls, texts and emails.
Liverpool Crown Court was told that 22-year-old Hepburn’s immature behaviour included buying frozen dead mice from Pets at Home to post through her former lover’s letter box at her Warrington home, with some ending up on the stairs.
She also threw eggs at the home of her new partner’s mum and was found to have videos on her phone- described by Judge David Swinnerton as “worrying and sinister” – of her sitting in her car with a hammer on her knee.
She had repeatedly travelled up to Warrington from her home in Portsmouth and even continued stalking her while remanded on bail.
Hepburn, of East Street, Portsmouth pleaded guilty to stalking and sharing an intimate video, was jailed for 22 months. She was already the subject of a five year stalking prevention order.
Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said that the couple had been together for three months and then split up with Hepburn’s partner then going back with her previous girlfriend, who she is still with.
She made it clear that she did not want to be in a relationship with Hepburn who then started bombarding her with text messages and phone calls. She drove up to Cheshire but her victim refused to see her and so she continued sending her unwanted communications.
A year later, in August 2024, she realised she still had a bracelet belonging to the defendant and arranged for her to collect it from her Warrington home. She was due to arrive at 10 am but actually turned up at 1 am and was not allowed in. She returned at 3.30 am and when she was not let in she pushed cigarettes through the key hole before leaving, said Mr Blasbery.
Hepburn was spotted opposite the flat staring over and shouting abuse. Two weeks later she returned and placed bins against a gate to prevent the couple getting into the property.
In the early hours of September 19 she heard a sound at the front door and when she later checked “she saw a dead mouse had been posted through the front door. She was concerned about this and found out the defendant was responsible.
“Throughout the rest of the day she and her partner kept finding dead mice all over the stairs to her flat. As a result of that she contacted the police because she was being harassed by the defendant,” said Mr Blasbery.
Hepburn also sent her an intimate video of her and she felt “upset, hurt and betrayed and she could not stop crying. She later found out the defendant had been to her partner’s mothers address and eggs were thrown at the house.
“She knew this because the defendant put a video of her throwing eggs on Snapchat.
Hepburn, a chef, also threatened to put fireworks through her letter box and the victim was frightened her home would be set alight.
When Hepburn’s phone was analysed by police experts as well as the egging video they found one of her holding a hammer and voice notes threatening to use it.
When interviewed she admitted buying frozen mice at Pets at Home and posting them because her former partner owed her money.
In an impact statement the victim told how she had developed “significant trust issues and in a state of hyper-vigilance.” She suffers from nightmares and is constantly on edge.
Tom McLoughlin, defending, said, “She now has a better understanding of how her behaviour impacted the victim and is extremely sorry.
She suffers from seizures as a result of a head injury when she was 14 but since being remanded in custody in January she has not been receiving her medication and has conswquently been having daily fits.
She has a job open to her as a chef in her home town of Portsmouth and there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation for Hepburn, who had never received a jail sentence, he said.
Hepburn, who appeared via video link from Styal prison, read a letter she had written to the judge in which she expressed her remorse and said she had acted totally out of character.
Judge Swinnerton said that she was immature and lacked the ability to deal emotionally with a relationship breakdown. He said she described the mice incident as a joke and funny. “I hope you now realise it was anything but funny.”
He added, “I have no doubt you wanted to get your own back because she did not want to be with you and you wanted to humiliate her.”
During the investigation, the Harm Reduction Unit submitted an application to the courts for Hepburn to be issued with a Stalking Protection Order. On Thursday 13 March, Warrington Magistrates’ Court issued Hepburn with a 5-year Stalking Protection Order, prohibiting her from contacting the victim, entering Warrington, and requiring her to allow officers to inspect her electronic devices.
After the hearing Detective Constable Katie Ashcroft of the Harm Reduction Unit said: “Hepburn’s actions towards the victim in this case were abhorrent. She appeared to take pride in her actions, videoing herself throwing eggs at addresses, and delivering dead mice to her victim. Hepburn boasted about her actions and has shown little appreciation for the distress she caused.
“The victim in this case was extremely courageous in coming forward, having been subjected to such a continued campaign of harassment and intimidation.
“I hope that the sentence imposed by the courts highlights the seriousness of Hepburn’s actions and demonstrates the severe consequences of stalking.
“Cheshire Constabulary take all reports of stalking extremely seriously. It is an insidious crime that steals lives, and we are committed to using every tool and power available to us to protect the public from the risk’s stalkers pose.”
The Harm Reduction Unit is a specialist risk management service delivered by Cheshire Constabulary in conjunction with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and the Probation Service. The unit also includes a dedicated investigation team taking primacy for the most serious and complex stalking investigations.
