Peter Stimpson: Gold Coast financier guilty of using a carriage service to harass tavern employee

A Gold Coast man who spent increasing time at his local pub, after his wife left him unexpectedly, harassed a “kind and generous” bartender in his pursuit of romance, a court has heard.

Parkwood Tavern, on the northern Gold Coast, where the complainant worked. Picture: Venue Now

A Gold Coast man who spent increasing time at his local pub, after his wife left him unexpectedly, harassed a friendly bartender in his pursuit of romance, a court has heard.

Southport man Peter Alan Stimpson, 41, who owns his own eponymous finance brokerage, Peter Stimpson Finance, appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend, and breaching bail.

The victim in the matter was a “significantly younger” employee of the Parkwood Tavern, Stimpson’s local at the time.

Stimpson, reeling from the unexpected breakdown of his marriage, had been attending the tavern regularly to drown his sorrows.

Gold Coast financier Peter Alan Stimpson. Picture: LinkedIn

He struck up a friendship with the young woman, who was “kind and generous” to him, according to Stimpson’s defence counsel Daniel Barker, extending so far as the complainant dropping Stimpson’s daughter home one time when he was too intoxicated to drive.

“He misinterpreted that friendship for romance,” Mr Barker said.

However the relationship soon took on dark undertones, and between August 1 and December 18 last year he desperately pursued her romantically despite the woman making clear she was not interested.

After he was blocked on all platforms, Stimpson left a negative Google review for the business, naming the woman, and also tried to contact another employee of the tavern regarding the situation.

The breach of bail related to Stimpson contacting an employee of the tavern again after he was charged – initially with stalking, but that was discontinued – although the court was told he immediately unsent the message.

Mr Barker said the message was sent in the context of Stimpson’s daughter returning home from school and telling her father she had been told by a classmate he was a stalker.

He told the court his client was now engaged in psychology and alcohol counselling.

A restraining order is in place protecting the harassed woman from Stimpson.

Magistrate Sarah Thompson told the court she considered Stimpson’s offending, while not trivial, to be at the lower end of the scale of seriousness.

She placed him on a six-month, $500 good-behaviour bond.

No convictions were recorded.