‘Relentless stalker’ who harassed woman and rammed her car snared by SmartWater spray

Between Sunday, November 3, and Friday November 29, 2024, Neil Leddon, 54, from East Riding, stalked, harassed and took photos of a woman without her consent, a court heard.

Leddon was caught after the woman he was stalking deployed a canister of SmartWater she had been given by Humberside Police’s Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding Investigation Team (DASIT).

Leddon, of Mooney Place in Howden, had breached his bail conditions when he followed the woman down her street in a vehicle before deliberately crashing into her car.

In April, Leddon pleaded guilty to stalking, careless driving and driving without insurance following his appearance at Hull Crown Court.

Leading the investigation was Detective Inspector Helen Collier from DASIT, who said: “Leddon is a relentless stalker who took pictures of the woman without her consent and waited for her outside her address and workplace on multiple occasions with one ominous intention, to affect her daily life by continuously causing her fear and alarm.

“He was also seen multiple times on her CCTV walking past her address in a way to intimidate her by circling around somewhere she is supposed to feel safe and secure.

“The brave actions taken by the woman to deploy her SmartWater cannister is admirable. SmartWater is a fluid initially designed to mark property, using unique DNA codes, so it could be identified if stolen.

“This same technology is now being used to allow crime victims to mark their attackers because traces of the fluid cannot be washed off or seen with the naked eye.”

On Wednesday (Jul 2), Leddon was handed a five-year restraining order, disqualified from driving, and handed a 16-month sentence suspended for two years.

DI Collider added: “It offers victims an additional safeguarding measure to make them feel safer in their homes and whilst going about their business, and this is one of the reasons why we have managed to stack up the evidence against Leddon for him to decide to plead guilty for his actions.

“This approach is not new to policing, and it is being used in conjunction with ongoing support from specialist officers within our dedicated DASIT teams, as well as partners including the Domestic Abuse Partnership, who are co-located in our office at Clough Road.

“I would like to commend the woman for her patience throughout the course of the investigation and judicial process.”