75-year-old who launched smear campaign against stepsister in East Cambridgeshire village jailed for nearly 10 years

A 75-year-old man has been jailed for almost 10 years after launching a smear campaign against his stepsister amid a bitter inheritance battle, during which he posted leaflets to residents of their village, claiming she and her husband were grooming children.

Raymond Birnie, who went on the run after being found guilty, became embroiled in a High Court battle with his brother and stepsister over their late father’s estate in August 2015.

A criminal case began in February 2017 when Birnie used an email address in his brother’s name to send a message to his stepsister, which urged her to stop the case “before it gets nasty” - and threatened to drive a car into her house.

Birnie sent further emails that repeated this threat, as well as being abusive and accusing his stepsister of being a paedophile.

In December 2017, Birnie sent a letter to his stepsister that threatened to post leaflets through all the doors in a village near Ely, where she lived with her partner, claiming they were suspected of being involved in grooming children online.

He followed through with this, posting a leaflet purporting to be from an online child activist group that included a photograph of her and her husband, their names and address, to residents of the village in March 2018.

Birnie sent another letter to her shortly after, purporting to be from the online child activist group, which made further threats including a warning that more leaflets would be posted in the village.

He was arrested and bailed in March 2018, but produced documents claiming his brother was behind the previous threats and smears.

Birnie’s brother was arrested but cleared of all offences after investigations found computer evidence that Birnie had set up the account in his brother’s name and used it to conduct his campaign.

After a jury found Birnie guilty, he went on the run while on bail, living in a campervan with false number plates.

While on bail, Birnie also attacked a High Court bailiff and threatened a chartered surveyor with a knife in Suffolk.

Birnie, of Hillcrest, Peasenhall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, was jailed at Huntingdon Law Courts on 17 February for nine years and three months, having been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, witness intimidation, actual bodily harm, criminal damage, threatening a person with a bladed article in a private place and two counts of failing to surrender bail.

Sentencing him, Judge Mark Bishop described Birnie’s actions as "meticulously planned", "manipulative", "vindictive" and "calculated to be as damaging and humiliating as possible".

Birnie was also handed an indefinite restraining order against his stepsister.

Det Sg Sean Clery said: “This was an incredibly complex case and Birnie caused immense distress for his relatives by smearing his sister and her husband as paedophiles and trying to frame his own brother.

"The consequences of Birnie’s actions have been life-changing and the damage he has caused is immeasurable.

"I am pleased that justice has prevailed and applaud the victims for having the courage and resilience to endure through what has been a difficult journey.”