Nathan James Flannery: Stalker signs victim up for porn, sends $7000 in gifts

Shocking details of a horse trainer’s stalking tactics towards a jockey infuriated an Albury magistrate so much that he was forced to take a short break from court proceedings.

Nathan James Flannery used nine different email address and eight different phone numbers to relentlessly stalk a Cowra woman he worked with, even signing her up for porn sites without her consent.

The 39-year-old Lavington man faced Albury Local Court on Monday, pleading guilty to stalking/intimidation with the intent to cause fear or physical harm.

Court documents revealed Flannery worked as a thoroughbred horse trainer with his cousin which is where he met his victim who was a jockey.

When the pair met in 2018, Flannery would message his victim about things to do with racing, until August 2019 when his communications became overbearing and started causing his victim emotional stress.

The victim, who was living with her partner, received almost $7000 in gifts from Flannery, as well as text messages and voicemails containing fanciful stories from different alter-egos.

Court documents stated that Flannery managed to get the mobile number of the victim’s partner, calling him pretending to be a prostitute.

He also used the victim’s email address to sign her up for various porn sites.

On August 9, 2020, the victim went to the police station with pages of correspondence with the accused after she had told him not to contact her anymore.

Nathan James Flannery used nine different email address and eight different phone numbers to relentlessly stalk a Cowra woman. Picture: Stock.

She told police she had been reluctant to cut ties with Flannery and she didn’t want to cause tension with his family and risk losing future rides.

She said she never replied to Flannery, and every time she blocked him he would use a new email or mobile number to contact her again.

On August 17, 2020, the victim returned to Cowra police station with 20 new pages of emails from the accused.

One particular email stated: “Nothing ticks me off more then (sic) getting done for $ … nothing … Ultimate disrespect … It’s taking me back to my old self … If you think this is bad you haven’t seen anything.”

When police attended Flannery’s house on September 18, 2020, the accused admitted to sending parcels to the victim, admitting he had romantic feelings for her, but declined to comment on any of his other actions.

Magistrate Richard Funston was disgusted by Flannery’s behaviour upon reading the police facts, and had to stand the matter down to take a short break because he was “too angry to deal with it straight away.”

“I see this as an extremely serious case of intimidation,” he said.

“This is extremely filthy behaviour.”

Flannery’s defence solicitor Suryan Chandrasegaran said his client had been confused about the nature of the relationship.

“The accused did send a large amount of unsolicited gifts, but it’s only around August 9 that she goes to police and says she doesn‘t like the gifts,” Mr Chandrasegaran said.

“My client had a misunderstanding of the relationship because the gifts weren’t returned and the victim was communicating with him.”
Flannery interrupted his solicitor to tell Mr Funston he and the victim spoke every day for two years.

Mr Funston said it was a “clear case of stalking.”

He said it was Flannery’s guilty plea that stopped him from serving a jail sentence.

“The victim has done nothing wrong and the accused has behaved in a predatory, stalking manner,” Mr Funston said.

“I’ve taken a very dim view of this today.”

Flannery was fined $2000 with a conviction recorded.