'Deluded, obsessive and jealous' police officer Stuart Clough stalked colleague and used police systems to track her whereabouts

PC John Stuart Clough, known as Stuart, used Leicestershire Police computer systems to track his colleague’s whereabouts in real time and then messaged her to ask who she was with and where she was.

The pair had never been romantically involved and the woman had made it explicitly clear on many occasions that she was not interested in him.

Nevertheless Clough, of High Street, Leicester, continued his obsession with her and even turned up at playgrounds when she was there with her children.

He appeared before Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane at Northampton Crown Court for sentencing this morning (Thursday, August 8) where she called him ‘deluded, obsessive and jealous’.

Prosecuting, Dan Mander said that Clough, 51, had worked with the female officer for many years but in 2015 they struck up a friendship. By 2022 both their previous relationships had broken up and Clough approached his victim to tell her he loved her.

Mr Mander said: “She told him his feelings were not reciprocated.”

Clough moved policing areas to Hinckley, but from then on he began to challenge her on where she was and who she was crewed with.

He used the force’s ‘point-to-point’ radio system to contact her directly. He also began to message her on Facebook, questioning her about shift patterns and overtime she was completing.

If she didn’t reply quickly she was forced to explain why to the defendant.

Mr Mander said that he had turned up at her children’s nursery at pick-up time, adding: “She would regularly go to the park and he’d turn up at that park when she was there. It was nowhere near his home.”

The victim made it clear ‘on numerous occasions’ that she was not interested in him but was reluctant to stop talking to him altogether to prevent an ‘escalation’.

Clough, who has been a police officer for more than two decades, then used the police ‘Webstorm’ command system to follow her.

Mr Mander said: “There are six evidenced occasions whereby he, off duty, used his police access to the WebStorm communications system.

"He was able to see where she was posted, where she was working, which incident she’d been deployed to and who with.”

The victim reported the stalking to the force and a professional standards enquiry began which resulted in the criminal prosecution. During the enquiry, Clough admitted the offences.

He pleaded guilty at a previous court hearing to using a computer to access unauthorised data and to stalking the victim between November 2022 and September 2023.

In today’s sentencing hearing the court heard a moving victim personal statement from the victim, who said her whole life had been changed.

She said: “As a result of Stu’s actions.. I’m a mere shadow of my former self.

"I’ve lost the love for my job.

"I’d get stressed before every shift. There’d be constant point-to-points and messages asking what I was doing and who I was with. I tried so many times to tell him to stop and to get help. He admitted on numerous occasions what he was doing. He knew it was affecting my mental health. He continued knowing how it was affecting me.

"I was embarrassed that I’d let someone who I thought was a friend do this to me. I blamed myself for a long time.”

The victim developed anxiety around picking her children up from nursery because Clough would wait in the car park.

“It was constantly making me on edge in front of my children,” she said.

"I should be able to take them to the park where I live. It was a constant emotional rollercoaster.”

The victim stopped seeing friends because Clough would question the people she was with on social media and message them to ask how they knew her.

"I felt trapped,” she said.

"I’m worried about what people will think. I’m embarrassed. I’ve lost confidence and motivation and drive and I have sunk into a deep depression.”

The victim was also signed off work.

Mitigating for Clough, Ben Brown said that his client had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and had the ‘very, very deepest of remorse’.

"He’s completely and utterly devastated his life,” he said.

“He had to resign from the police force and has left behind a career that he was devoted to and brought him a great sense of joy.”

Clough was supported in court by his family and the court heard two positive references were written by police colleagues.

"He’s brought shame on himself and his family,” said Mr Brown, who said Clough had been motivated by ‘utterly misguided desperation.’

"He’s utterly terrified at the thought of custody,” he said.

Sentencing, Her Honour Judge Crane said: “You were, and are deluded when you suggest (to probation officers) she left the door for a relationship open.

"You heard what you chose to hear, not what she was telling you.”

“Your behaviour had a serious effect on every aspect of your victim’s life.

"She described it as an ongoing nightmare.”

Clough’s barrister had asked for the sentence to be suspended but Judge Crane said that custody was the only suitable punishment. He was sentenced to 22 months in jail and will serve half before he is released to spend the rest of the term on licence. He was also given a five-year restraining order.

Leicestershire Police told our reporter they would to release a mugshot of the offender as their policy only allows the release of custody photos in the event of a two-year prison sentence.