Couple's ordeal by poison-pen vicar

A retired vicar waged an 18-month poison-pen letter campaign after complaining about his neighbours' bird table, a court heard today.

Aubrey Ridge, 79, left Peter and Carolyn Preen petrified that a paedophile was stalking their 15-year-old daughter because of lewd comments in 12 anonymous letters.

Posing as someone from the couple's past, Ridge also made demands for ?10,000.

Mrs Preen, who suffered depression during the ordeal, said Ridge had earlier asked her to move the bird table because it was causing birds to foul his fence. New Forest magistrates heard how Ridge, of Milford, Hampshire, was caught when Mrs Preen fed him a lie about a fictitious stepson.

A week later she received a letter making reference to the stepson.

Ridge, who denied harassment, was given a two-year conditional discharge and made the subject of a two-year restraining order.