THE former wife of an anti-stalking charity boss who waged a nine-month campaign of harassment against her has told how the ordeal impacted on “every aspect" of her life.
Elaine Ferrie, 54, spoke of her torment at the hands of her former partner Peter Noreiko, who previously spearheaded the group Action Against Stalking.
The charity, which supports victims of harassment, has been credited with making stalking a criminal offence.
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The string of charges against Noreiko were brought under Section 39 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, the flagship anti-stalking law for which the charity had successfully campaigned.
Noreiko, 67, parted company with the Action Against Stalking (AAS) charity earlier this year before he was charged with offences against his former wife, it is understood.
Ayr Sheriff Court heard how Noreiko had repeatedly driven past his ex-wife’s home in Troon and made an uninvited visit to her previous home in the village of Monkton, placing his foot in the door to prevent Ms Ferrie from closing it.
The retired businessman attended and telephoned her workplace in Troon and tried to repeatedly contact Ms Ferrie by text message and email.
He made contact with Ms Ferrie's family, her friends and work colleagues in an attempt to gain information about her.
He also followed her while in a car, repeatedly sounding the car horn and flashing his lights while driving behind his ex-wife.
In a separate occasion he attempted to enter a car driven by Mrs Ferrie.
The court heard he went to South Beach Hotel, Troon to hand in letters for her.
Noreiko pleaded guilty to the offences last Friday.
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In the wake of her former husband’s plea, Mrs Ferrie told how she wanted her “voice to be heard” to encourage other stalking victims to find the strength to come forward.
“My advice to anyone who is being stalked is – don’t keep it to yourself,” she said.
“You have not done anything wrong – being stalked is not your fault.”
And she said: “Until I had been the victim of stalking myself, I didn’t fully appreciate just what this crime really meant, nor did I understand what it’s really like to be a victim of persistent and unwanted attention.
“It impacted on every aspect of my life.
"It has only been the wonderful support I received that has helped me cope.”
Ms Ferrie said wished she had reported the crimes to Police Scotland earlier who she said were “wonderful” and made her feel “validated and valued”.
She also paid tribute to South Ayrshire Women’s Aid, who provided advice and a personal alarm, as well as domestic abuse advocacy group ASSIST.
“Each organisation who supported me throughout this ordeal played a vital role and I think that’s what I want to say to other victims out there,” she said.
“Don’t try to deal with it on your own. Get help. Report it to the police. The sooner you do it the less impact there will be on your life.
“I never thought this would happen to me but sadly it did.
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"And I realise that it is very important to tell people, and get as much support as you can.”
Ann Moulds, chief executive of Action Against Stalking said: "It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do, no one is above the law.
"No matter why a person chooses to stalk and no matter what their reason is, it cannot ever be used as an excuse for the stress and harm they cause to their victim.
"We must never underestimate what stalking is and what it does.”
In 2010, MSPs supported moves for a new stalking offence after the charity’s founder Ann Moulds, called for a change in the law.
It has been estimated that police investigated more than 1,000 cases of stalking in the first three years since the laws came into force.
Ms Moulds was subsequently named public campaigner of the year at The Herald Scottish Politician of the Year Awards in 2010 and nominated as Scotswoman of the Year in 2013.
Dr Waiyin Hatton, who has 38 years leadership experience in healthcare and was awarded the Association of Scottish Businesswomen’s Woman of Inspiration award in 2014, has taken over from Mr Noreiko as AAS chairman.
Sentencing for Noreiko has been adjourned until next month.
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