Gladstone man William James Stonier jailed for stalking, common assault

An ex-husband unleashed a seven-month reign of terror on his former wife, watching her from rooftops, breaking into her house and ambushing her with knives, forcing her to move towns to escape him.

An ex-husband has been jailed for stalking his former wife, once ‘standing guard’ in a parked car near her home.

A Rockhampton judge was so alarmed by a stalker’s lack of remorse and insight into his actions that he made an unusual parole order this week.

William James Stonier, 58, stalked his wife of 36 years for seven months after she left him followings years of his drunken and abusive behaviour which included being called a whore and “Satan’s princess”, Rockhampton District Court heard this week.

Judge Jeff Clarke said because Stonier’s behaviour was “particularly troubling”, he ordered presentence reports to provide insight into why Stonier behaved this way and what his risk was in the future.

“They made the case more perplexing,” he said.

Stonier started his stalking behaviour on the victim’s birthday when he called her and wished her a happy birthday and days later, he tried to flag her down, which she ignored.

“She had to go home and barricade herself,” Judge Clarke said.

“A few days later, you used your daughter to pass on messages of your reported love for her, obviously lacking any insight into how your constant intrusion into her life showed the opposite of love – it is not love to exert coercive control over your domestic partner.”

From there, he left medical records on her car, parked outside her house at night to “stand guard” and told one of their three daughters that a stranger had approached him to say they planned on raping her mother.

Stonier also discussed with one of the adult children his plans to leave his underwear on the gate for his ex-wife and tried to get his children to unlock doors to her house so he could get inside.

‘GOING TO BE RAPED AND MUTILATED’

The Gladstone man was found by the victim hiding under the Queenslander house on one occasion and he ran away.

When he was located by police 100m away, Stonier claimed he had been there to get clothing.

It was around this time Stonier, who had worked as a cleaner and a bus driver, was climbing on the rooftops of neighbour’s houses to watch the victim.

Judge Clarke said Stonier told one of his daughters “people up the road were going to rape and mutilate” the victim.

During February, Stonier had flowers delivered to the victim’s workplace and a coffee cup with a wedding band alongside the flowers.

He took photographs of her picking up the flower delivery.

Stonier also surprised her while she was unpacking groceries in the dining room by walking out from her bedroom and saying her name.

“Understandably she nearly collapsed and screamed at you to leave,” Judge Clarke said.

“You told her not to scream and cry and that you thought that she had left the door open for you.

“You told her you had done some washing and made some tea.”

Stonier stayed at the house that evening, following the victim to the shower and toilet wanting to watch her and demand to know who she was speaking to on the phone.

He forced her to sit in the lounge room while he told her a fake story that he had been given five years to live by doctors and pretended to cry.

Stonier eventually left later that night despite being asked to leave repeatedly by the victim.

He had food and groceries delivered to the victim on multiple occasions, told her he wanted to protect her and on Valentine’s Day, transferred money into her bank account.

Stonier repeatedly contacted their daughters and told them to tell the victim he loved her.

A month later, he broke into her house by breaking a kitchen window and stole a hard drive from her camera surveillance system.

WOMAN ATTACKED DURING DIVORCE PROCEEDINGS

Four months later, after the victim’s lawyer sent Stonier a letter about divorce proceedings, Stonier ambushed the victim, jumping out from behind a parked car, after she arrived home from work.

He wore a balaclava in an attempt to disguise his identity but she recognised him by his physical appearance and the shorts he was wearing, which she seen him wear many times before.

Stonier grabbed at both her arms but she used one of hers to block his.

She saw he held a tie down strap in a figure eight and she screamed.

Stonier covered her mouth but she kept screaming as he pushed her backwards into a piece of wood, causing her to fall to the ground.

She continued screaming as she crouched on the ground and Stonier ran away.

Police attended, finding a camouflage bag under the house containing Stonier’s aviator sunglasses.

They also located several knives in ‘easy to access’ positions and a fishing spear on top of a bag.

Police found a second tie down strap, a white mask and strips of duct tape at various locations containing Stonier’s fingerprints.

CLAIMS OFFENDER ‘ABUSED ALCOHOL’

Judge Clarke said the presentence report showed Stonier did not accept that he had “abused alcohol to excess” since a shoulder injury resulted in him unable to work.

“The reports have proved to be very informative indeed,” he said.

Judge Clarke said Stonier also claimed the victim would ask him to go to her place and that he had some dogs and he was upset she might get rid of them.

Judge Clarke said Stonier claimed that he did not recall the ambush incident and that he had been given what he thought was panadol by a couple he met at a petrol station and woke up on the grass outside the petrol station.

He said one report stated Stonier’s insight into his behaviour was poor and he continued to victim blame, claiming his ex-wife had copied a friend in making false domestic violence complaints.

Judge Clarke said Stonier had given three different versions about where he would settle after his release from prison, including staying with a new partner, buying a house in Hervey Bay or staying in a men’s shelter.

“It seems that there are no real clear arrangements as to where you’re going to live or what you’re going to do with yourself which causes me considerable concern,” he said.

Judge Clarke said that concern was amplified by Stonier’s denials of alcohol abuse.

‘SHE’S WORRIED THAT YOU’RE COMING TO GET HER’

“Your offending has had an incredibly profound impact upon your former wife’s sense of security and safety,” Judge Clarke said.

“She cannot sleep.

“She’s been worried that you would turn up unannounced again.

“She’s barricaded herself in her home, installed security measures.

“She’s had to stop her social outings.
“She is hyper vigilant.

“She’s worried that you’re coming to get her.

“She had to quit her job and go and live in another part of the state and she is concerned that when you get out, you will contact people and try and track her down.

“She experiences depression, requiring medication – counselling has not really assisted in her adjustment to her mood.

“She feels overwhelmed by your control and the state of fear that you have instilled upon her.”

CLAIMS EX-WIFE WAS ‘TOYING WITH HIM’

Judge Clarke said the Queensland Corrective Services report writer confirmed Stonier was a high risk, high harm behaviour offender.

He said the psychological report was “equally illuminating” stating Stonier provided disjointed and incoherent accounts of the situations of his behaviours leading to the offending.

Judge Clarke said Stonier claimed he and the victim were “not married as far as he knew” and that she “had been playing games and toying with him”.

He said Stonier also claimed his wife had been volatile and thought he was a drunk.

Judge Clarke said the report stated Stonier was fixated on historical pregnancy.

He said Stonier also claimed he “had been made to have sex against his will” and his wife had been using dating service websites in recent years.

Judge Clarke said Stonier also told the psychologist the stalking charge arose from him contacting his wife to rehome the animals and collect his guns.

“You were not deemed to be delusional,” he said to Stonier.

“You expressed overvalued beliefs about your wife’s behaviour and were adamant that she had been having an affair with someone else.”

Stonier’s initial diagnosis is adjustment disorder with depressed mood and alcohol use disorder in forced remission.

He has been categorised as a rejected stalker and poses a high risk for stalking violence in the future.

Stonier has also been deemed a high risk of violence towards the victim upon release from prison.

Judge Clarke said due to the contents of these reports, he determined Stonier’s plea of guilty to the stalking and common assault charges were not indicative of any expression of remorse or shame or regret.

He sentenced Stonier to three years prison, declared 278 days presentence custody as time served and set parole release for August 26, 2024.

Judge Clarke also ordered the presentence reports be provided to Queensland Corrective Services “to ensure that the offender receives the appropriate treatment and supervision in the community and is returned to custody should he pose a risk to the safety and well being of others”.