Married businessman, 72, cleared of stalking former lover, 56

Married businessman, 72, accused of stalking his former lover, 56, for seven years while lavishing her with cars and diamonds is cleared but warned to stay away from her

• Patrick Bradley, 72, allegedly carried out the campaign against Sheila McKenzie 
• Former accountant and haulage contractor ‘stalker her’ after they had an affair 
• Renovated three homes and bought diamond jewellery and several cars for her
• Bradley, from Perthshire, found not guilty after a trial of stalking Mrs McKenzie 

Patrick Bradley pictured leaving Perth Sheriff Court where he was cleared of stalking

A married businessman accused of stalking a former lover for seven years while lavishing her with expensive gifts was yesterday warned to stay away from her.

Former accountant and haulage contractor Patrick Bradley, 72, allegedly carried out the campaign against Sheila McKenzie after they had a brief affair.

He later renovated three homes and bought diamond jewellery and several cars for Mrs McKenzie.

But Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown cleared him of a stalking charge yesterday and warned him to refrain from contacting her unless it was through a solicitor.

Bradley admitted falling in love with the hospital worker after having sex with her twice a decade ago.

He went on to spend tens of thousands of pounds on her, and told Perth Sheriff Court he was a wealthy and generous man.

But Mrs McKenzie, 56, who had known Bradley as a family friend since 1993, said she was ashamed of her affair and tried without success to break off contact.

Fiscal depute Michael Sweeney said: ‘There’s no doubt he has given this lady an insurmountable amount of assistance. However, because he has helped her it doesn’t give him carte blanche to act as if he owns her.

‘She described herself as being petrified. The pressure mounts and the sinister element develops. He accepts he is ashamed of what he is doing – hurting a person he is truly fond of.

‘The renovations were an example of doing something to have a hold of her. You were manipulating her.’

Bradley allegedly carried out the campaign against Sheila McKenzie (pictured left outside court), after they had a brief affair

Widowed Mrs McKenzie said that Bradley had paid her mortgage for a period, given members of her family jobs and bought her expensive jewellery and three cars.

She said: ‘He wouldn’t take any payment for any of them. There’s offering support and then there’s taking over.’

She said Bradley spent £2,000 on her for her 50th birthday. Bradley said he had paid for renovations to her homes, which cost more than £50,000.

When she told him in 2017 that she was in a new relationship with William Chalmers, Bradley dubbed him ‘The Fat Mechanic’ and attempted to investigate his financial status.

Bradley told the court: ‘I was as embarrassed about the affair as she was. I don’t understand what you mean by infatuated. She was great company.’

Asked if he was in love with Mrs McKenzie, he replied: ‘I would say I was at one point but that was years ago.’ He said they had sex on two occasions.

He added: ‘I’m fairly well off and I had a friend who had next to nothing. I carried out renovations. I thought I would always be welcome in her house.

‘She had no baggage, she had a nice home, and there are people who prey on women like that. She pushed me away just as I finished the renovations. I feel – rightly or wrongly – I was taken advantage of.’

Bradley, from Aberfeldy, Perthshire, was found not guilty after a three-day trial of stalking Mrs McKenzie between December 13, 2010, and May 11, 2018.

He denied phoning and emailing her, leaving messages at her home, contacting her family and friends and threatening to expose their affair. Sheriff Martin-Brown said: ‘She [Mrs McKenzie] felt uncomfortable with the friendship but allowed it to persist because she feared he would tell her family she had slept with him.

‘I have no doubt it made her feel uncomfortable. In December 2017 she intimated that she did not want any contact. I do not accept she felt scared of Mr Bradley.’

She found him not guilty but warned him that any future contact should only be made through solicitors.

In 2010, Bradley was disqualified from being a company director for three years after his company, Barhaul, went into liquidation. During the trial he told the court he had sent all his children to private Glenalmond College and was wealthy enough to hand over £375,000 in a day to his sister.

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