Stephanie Pyle faces Brisbane court on charge of stalking
A Brisbane woman has faced court accused of stalking after allegedly “harassing” her former lover’s wife for several years over social media and telephone.
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A Brisbane woman accused of repeatedly calling her lover’s wife, allegedly sharing social media posts about her and contacting her friends, has faced court on a charge of stalking.
Stephanie Lois Pyle, 49, of Gaythorne indicated to Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday that she intended to plead guilty to a count each of unlawful stalking and using a carriage service to menace, harass, or cause offence between November 1, 2019 and November 24 last year.
Prosecutor Senior Sergeant Sanghyun Koh said Ms Pyle’s alleged victim was married to a man she worked with for many years.
The alleged victim began receiving “unwanted” phone calls from a private number in late 2019.
On one day in 2020, Ms Pyle allegedly called her colleague’s wife from an unknown number and left eight separate voice messages. She allegedly left another eight voice messages on a later occasion, and an additional three on a date in January last year.
“The victim identified the defendant’s voice,” Snr Sgt Koh said.
“The victim determined that the voice messages left were not threatening, however very menacing, harassing, and unwanted.”
He said Ms Pyle allegedly left a total of 19 messages on the woman’s phone.
The offending allegedly continued after the woman moved interstate with her husband. Snr Sgt Koh said she noticed a Facebook post in a group intended for residents of her new suburb.
The post allegedly asked for assistance in finding information about a couple who had recently moved to the suburb and was accompanied by a photograph of the alleged victim’s husband.
In October last year, the alleged victim reported the “unwanted contact” to police, explaining she felt “harassed” and as though her reputation in her new community had been negatively affected by Ms Pyle’s alleged derogatory comments on social media.
“The victim had devised that this unwanted contact has occurred since 2019 and has caused emotional distress,” Snr Sgt Koh said.
She also alleged Ms Pyle had sought out and contacted her friends via Facebook “to spread rumours on (an) extramarital affair with the victim’s husband”.
“Police contacted the defendant to advise she was (a) suspect and to organise to obtain her version,” Snr Sgt Koh said.
“The defendant voluntarily told police she had previously had (an) extramarital affair with the victim’s husband and that all communication was consensual and two-way.”
Police requested she provide proof of the “two-way communication”, which she failed to do.
Snr Sgt Koh said police subsequently contacted the alleged victim’s husband who said he had had a “sexual encounter” with Ms Pyle years prior and she had not stopped contacting him or his wife since.
Ms Pyle told the court on Friday that she had committed “some of those offences” but did not agree with all of the facts presented by the prosecution.
“I don’t agree with several of those facts outlined by the court,” she said.
“I agree with some of the facts. I don’t agree with all of them.
“There’s quite a few in there that are dubious.”
Acting Magistrate Ross Woodford said he could not accept Ms Pyle‘s pleas of guilty and adjourned her matter to April 12 so she could submit her version of events to the prosecution. The court will accept a plea at that time.
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