Catherine May in court for harassing Agnes Water Tavern bar worker

Suspecting a co-worker was sleeping with her partner, a Queensland pub staffer embarked on a “campaign designed to intimidate and harass” the woman she labelled a “bad look” for the business.

A self-employed 56-year-old Bundaberg woman was fined $900 on Monday for a campaign of harassment and intimidation against a co-worker she suspected of having an affair with her partner.

On July 11, 2022, Catherine May pleaded guilty to using a phone to menace, harass or cause offence.

The court heard May worked with the victim at the Agnes Water Tavern, when she began to suspect the victim was having an affair with her then partner of three-and-a-half years.

Between March 30 and April 8, 2022, May began what Magistrate Edwina Rowan called “a campaign designed to intimidate and harass”.

According to police this campaign comprised a series of text messages, emails and Facebook comments including accusations that the victim was sleeping around, and had engaged in sexual intercourse with 12 men.

Text messages from the defendant to the victim included: “I am not going to stop until I destroy you and end your life so I think you should be a big girl and come and see me”.

“I will put a post regarding you on the Agnes Water community page.

“If you don’t come and see me then I will have a mate visit, you have f***ked with the wrong person, so I suggest you come and visit.”

The court heard Mrs May had texted her victim accusing her of sleeping with her partner, threatening to end her victims life.

The court heard May also sent a series of emails to the victim’s employer at the Agnes Water Tavern.

The first email contained a complaint May made to the tavern about the continued employment of the victim and her alleged sexual activities.

May told the victim’s employer it was a “bad look for the business” to continue employing her.

The court heard when May had not received a response from the tavern, she then threatened to write a negative review online outlining their willingness to “condone” the “low class behaviour” of the victim.

May also used Facebook to continue the harassment, with comments online furthering the smear campaign against the victim and the nature of her alleged sexual activities, including alleging the victim had AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Legal representative Matthew Maloy said May sent some messages while intoxicated by liquor, and that the relationships between May and her partner has since broken down.

Mrs Rowans acknowledged May was compliant with the police, and made an early plea of guilty.

“However, at 56 years-of-age you should know better,” she said.

“It seems that you have lost all perspective with respect to that campaign. It must have been terribly harassing for her.

“This was not an appropriate way to take out your anger and I do find it was a campaign designed to intimidate and harass,” she said.

A conviction was recorded.