Obsessed husband hid tracker in estranged wife’s car and watched her on CCTV

A man stalked his wife by setting up a security camera and hiding a device in her car to track her movements, a court heard. Nicholas Lloyd, 47, also falsely accused her of infidelity and threatened to kill her and their children on a trip to Lapland, “to make life easier”. Lloyd, of Rhosesmor, Mold , pleaded guilty to stalking involving serious alarm or distress.

A judge at Mold Crown Court on Tuesday, September 12, slammed the defendant’s “sinister” behaviour. He said the 47-year-old’s actions over eight months up to June this year were “calculated” and that he was “sceptical” about the defendant’s pledge to stay out of trouble in future, jailing him for 15 months. The court heard how Lloyd and his now estranged wife were married for 12 years and had three children.

The defendant installed CCTV cameras in their home in Halkyn in 2016, with one covering the stairs and playroom, North Wales Live reported. Read more: Woman frozen with fear while man raped her He said it was later disconnected but in 2017 he sent his wife a message about her behaviour and she asked him how he knew – indicating he was watching her on the camera. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here .

Prosecutor David Mainstone said that by 2022 the marriage had broken down and Lloyd moved out. But in October that year he went to the matrimonial home to see their children and accused his estranged wife of “cheating” on him. “He said he would kill her and her imaginary lover”, said Mr Mainstone.

Then, if she went to the gym, Lloyd would appear on the neighbouring treadmill or sit beside her in the jacuzzi, the court heard. On another occasion Lloyd told his partner “nice dress, but a bit short”. It was last December when she reluctantly agreed to go with her husband to Lapland so as not to disappoint their children.

He tried to “win her over” but eventually swerved the car. He said it would “make life easier” if he had “killed them all”. Join the WalesOnline breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community WalesOnline has launched a new breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community.

From the biggest court stories to the latest traffic updates, weather warnings and breaking news, it’s a simple way to stay up to date with what’s happening in Wales. Want to join? All you have to do is click on this link , select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in. No one else in the community will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the WalesOnline team.

We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily. If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking ‘Exit Group’. You can read our Privacy Notice here.

Join our WhatsApp community here. She eventually called police and Lloyd was arrested on December 15 last year. He answered no comment to questions and was released on conditional bail with a ban on contacting her.

But Mr Mainstone said the victim realised she was being followed and found a tracking device in the footwell of her car. In a statement she said she felt very sad and on edge and her dosage of anti-depressants was increased. She said she did not feel safe in her own home and no longer walked her dog in the rural area where she lives.

Mr Mainstone said they would be divorced and it was inevitable the matrimonial home would be sold. Simon Rogers, defending, said his client had behaved appallingly but there was no violence and it was out of character. After the birth of their third child his behaviour had changed.

He became a workaholic and this led to arguments. He had a large financial project with a massive financial investment and two colleagues passed away. This wasn’t an excuse for his actions, but it led to stresses in addition to his insecurities and a “failure to appropriately deal with the breakdown of the relationship”, said defence counsel.

The judge, his Honour Rhys Rowlands, told Lloyd his behaviour against his estranged wife had been “deeply unsettling and deeply wrong”. He added: “You are a pretty inadequate individual. You are determined to have your own way if you can.

This was a frankly sinister campaign – watching over her, pressurising her and effectively making her life miserable. She was having to look over her shoulder to see what you were doing. ” Lloyd had no previous convictions but the judge pointed to the fact he had ignored a bail condition not to have contact with his wife.

It had been calculated and protracted behaviour and there must be an immediate and deterrent custodial sentence, he said. Jailing him, he also imposed a five-year restraining order prohibiting Lloyd from contacting or approaching his victim. Find out about crime levels where you live:.