A man accused of stalking his ex-boyfriend, as well as driving a car at the man and his girlfriend while they were out for a run, was found guilty of the offences on Thursday.
Theodore O’Neil Morgan was remanded in custody for reports by Justice Cheryll Richards and the case was adjourned until early next year for sentencing.
A jury of six women and one man agreed with the Crown case after a 10-day trial that the defendant had often driven past his former boyfriend’s home, had urinated on his car, let himself into his ex’s property with a stolen key, and peeped through his windows.
Hurricane Rafael interrupted the summing up of the case on Tuesday by Richards, who completed the summing up of the evidence on Thursday.
The jury took about an hour and a half to unanimously convict Morgan of a stalking charge, as well as a second charge of committing a reckless and negligent act – driving his car at the couple.
‘Relentless’ harassment
Angelique McLoughlin, for the prosecution, told the jury that Morgan, through his “relentless” harassment between 1 April 2022 and 1 April 2023, had left his ex-boyfriend “in great fear, not only for his personal safety, but also for the safety of his companion”.
The jury had heard from the complainant and his fiancée, who both gave evidence, that on 23 May last year, while they were running along the Esterley Tibbetts Highway on their usual early-morning run, Morgan had swerved towards them in his car, and they had to jump out of the way to avoid being run over.
The victim’s fiancée, who admitted she had not met Morgan but had seen him at bars and was familiar with his Facebook and Instagram pages, said she had recognised him as the driver of the car.
Morgan denied being behind the wheel of his car that day and insisted it was being driven by another man, whom he named. But McLoughlin told the jury that police had been unable to find that man and there was no record of him being in Cayman.
“This case, the prosecution says, is about the relentless harassment of a vulnerable man by a jilted lover,” she told the jury. “It is about intrusion into a private life without relief.”
The victim’s evidence “outlined how the defendant followed him wherever he went, showing up at all hours of the day and night, in and around his house … sending photographs and messages they shared to his friends and family, the police, immigration and his place of employment,” McLoughlin said.
The jury also heard that the man had arrived home one day to find Morgan throwing his girlfriend’s clothing and belongings onto the yard outside his house.
Many stalking complaints to police
McLoughlin said the victim had called the police many times about Morgan’s behaviour and had made at least 11 reports.
She said he had even been told by a 9-1-1 operator to get off the line as it was only for emergencies.
McLoughlin added that the victim had said he had “no life” because of the constant stalking.
She said his problems with Morgan had started before 1 April 2022, but, because he did not want anyone to know about his sexual interest in men, he had put up with Morgan’s behaviour.
On another occasion, while on a morning run, McLoughlin said Morgan had thrown liquid on the complainant and his fiancée from his vehicle.
“They changed their exercise location, and the defendant still found them,” she told the jury.
The couple also changed houses, in the hope that Morgan would not find them, but he did, and then continued his harassment, the jurors heard.
The complainant’s fiancée told the jury that she had recognised Morgan’s car, as he had driven slowly past their house often.
She said he had also followed her and sent her photos and messages that had been exchanged between Morgan and the victim.
The victim’s roommate had also seen Morgan drive along the street outside their home several times and had videotaped him.
McLoughlin said, even after Morgan was finally arrested and restrictions were imposed by police, he continued to stalk his victim.
Clayton Phuran, who appeared for Morgan, earlier told the court that there was little evidence to back up the allegations against his client, saying video footage shot by the victim often did not show Morgan in the vehicle owned by him and that at least one video clip showed the complainant following Morgan in his car and not the other way round.
The victim had earlier told the court that Morgan had let himself into his home and taken his girlfriend’s phone, which he said had been on the bed between the two of them as they slept.
Phuran added there was also no proof that Morgan had been the person looking through the windows of his ex’s house nor that Morgan had taken a mobile phone belonging to the victim’s girlfriend.
Morgan had insisted the reason he was near the victim’s house so regularly was because he knew people who lived on the same street and was either dropping them off or going to see them.
Richards said sentence would be passed on Morgan on 17 Dec.
Additional reporting by Raymond Hainey.
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