A WOMAN who wrote threatening letters to herself, purporting to be from her ex-partner, has narrowly escaped an immediate prison sentence.

As a result of the forged correspondence, Joanne McMurrough’s former partner was arrested three times and spent more than 30-hours in police custody.

Durham Crown Court heard that it also put in jeopardy his rights to access to see their son, through family court orders.

But it was only when he continued to protest his innocence and police sought the assistance of a hand-writing expert, by examining the letters in question more closely, that it emerged that he was not the author.

Subsequent analysis, comparing them with other examples of McMurrough’s hand-writing, turned the tables and the spotlight fell on her.

The court heard that in the view of the expert it was proved “conclusively” that McMurrough had penned them and sent them to herself.

It led to her being re-interviewed by police and she finally admitted having written the letters as a means of preventing her ex-partner having access rights.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, told a previous hearing that her letters had been taken so seriously that an alarm was installed at her home in case her ex-partner turned up to carry out the ‘threats’ made in the bogus correspondence.

Mr Baker said apart from the time the wrongly-accused ex-partner spent in custody, the investigation, not including police man hours, had cost £4,348.

Thirty-six-year-old McMurrough, of Medwyn Close, Bournmoor, near Chester-le-Street, admitted eight counts of doing an act with intent to pervert the course of justice, at an earlier hearing.

When the case came back to court today (Friday May 13), Judge Christopher Prince said McMurrough’s former partner had taken a “very measured response” to the issue, to his credit, given what he had endured.

Vic Laffey, mitigating, said the defendant was undergoing mental health issues at the time she forged the letters.

Judge Prince imposed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, during which she will be subject to probation supervision.

He told McMurrough she escaped immediate custody, “by a hair’s breadth”, and repeated that any further misdemeanour on her part would result in her going immediately behind bars.