BIZARRE letters sent to a woman containing “deeply disturbing” sexualised chat turned out to have been written by a man she was briefly in a relationship with almost 30 years earlier.

Durham Crown Court heard the letters had been posted to the woman’s workplace, opened at its sorting office and read by her line manager – much to her embarrassment.

Penny Bottomley, prosecuting, said although she was shocked and disturbed at its contents, received in January last year, the recipient decided not to involve the police, following discussion with her husband.

But she did report matters when a second similar letter arrived at her office, three months later.

The letter claimed to be from a mysterious “Weardale woman”, but Miss Bottomley said a DNA lift from the envelope led officers to the home of 56-year-old Alan James Willey – whose sexual prowess was referred to by the supposed female author.

Although police found a draught of one of the letters on Willey’s home computer, he claimed he could not remember sending them.

He denied two counts of malicious communication, conveying an indecent message, but was convicted following a trial before magistrates in April.

Willey, of Lyndgate Square, Wolsingham, was subsequently given an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, during which he was ordered to undergo 15 Probation Service supervised rehabilitation activity days.

He was also ordered to pay the £620 costs of the hearing, a £115 statutory surcharge, and was made subject of a two-year restraining order, forbidding him from contacting the woman.

Willey appealed against that sentence at Durham Crown Court, claiming that the custodial element was excessive.

His barrister, Amrit Jandoo, said it was never his client’s intention to cause alarm or upset, but he accepted that appears to have been the effect.

“The letters are, in context, ramblings, which jump from topic to topic and different subject matter, interspersed with sexualised conversation, and that appears to be why they are found offensive.

“He clearly states he didn’t mean to cause distress and was just recounting an aspect of their history.”

Mr Jandoo added: “He’s a man of previous good character, who has always held down a job and has complied fully with the community element of the sentence since it was imposed.”

Judge Simon Hickey, sitting with two magistrates, said: “It is accepted these letters were distressing and disturbing in content, and the victim was deeply disturbed when she received them out of the blue.

“There was no real explanation for these actions.

“He simply didn’t know why he has behaved like he has, sending a letter to a former lover who he went out with for a few months.

“But, we do find that it can be dealt with by way of a high level community order, although we don’t criticise the magistrates’ original decision.”

The custodial element of the sentence was removed and the community order was set at one year, with all other aspects of the original sentence left as passed by the magistrates.