‘Spy gadget’ stalker jailed after tracking estranged wife in Melbourne’s west

An obsessive jilted lover from Hoppers Crossing stalked his ex-wife with spy gadgets and used his children to force her to withdraw a police complaint.

A jilted lover from Hoppers Crossing has been jailed after stalking his ex-wife with spy gadgets and later using their children as “pawns” in an attempt to force her to withdraw a police complaint.

The 45-year-old of Hoppers Crossing, who cannot be named for legal reasons, reappeared in Werribee Magistrates Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to nine charges.

The court heard the builder and his ex-wife’s 18-year marriage had broken down in late 2018 and the pair began living separately.

But over the following months he began to obsessively stalk her, repeatedly sitting in a parked car outside her Werribee home and calling her hundreds of times.

In April 2019, she discovered a GPS tracker and usb audio recorder hidden under the driver‘s seat of her BMW and reported the “disturbing” find to police.

Prosecutor Senior Constable Andrew Dobson said he had used the devices to “track” her movements and had even hired a private investigator to follow his ex.

The man was arrested and charged with stalking but continued the intimidating behaviour, breaking into her home on two occasions “just to talk”.

In February 2020, the woman contacted her ex to ask him to let her spend time with their children and was told: “They don’t want to see her unless she withdraws the complaint”.

Sen Const. Dobson said he dictated a message over the phone for her to send him, accusing her new boyfriend of having “great power” over her and forcing her to make up lies about him.

“You’re in the clear because if you say you were under duress … the coppers don‘t have a leg to stand on legally,” he told her.

“The thing that‘s paramount, is this f------ police report. You’d really save our family, our children a lot.”

The Hoppers Crossing father was caught installing A GPS tracker and voice recorder in his estranged partner’s car in April 2019.

Defence lawyer, Michael Allen conceded the actions he’d taken were “serious” but argued they occurred during a “gradual breakdown” of the relationship.

“During the years of the breakdown he was suffering from emotional and psychological vulnerability,” he said.

“He‘s now medicated and stabilised.”

Prosecutors argued he had shown “no remorse” since the offending, saying no additional imprisonment would be “wholly inappropriate”.

“He went about this in a cold and calculated manner,” the prosecutor said. “Using their children as pawns in a huge breach of the victim’s privacy.”

Magistrate Mike Wardell agreed, saying the prolonged offending clearly justified imprisonment.

On charges of stalking, using a carriage service to harass, trespassing and witness intimidation, the man was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment.

“The ultimate sentence I will impose is six months cumulative with the sentence you‘re currently serving,” Mr Wardell said.