Perth woman bombarded daughter with texts

Dec 11 2009

A PERTH mother broke down in tears in the dock on Wednesday as the Sheriff Court was told how she bombarded her daughter with more than 50 abusive text messages.

Lesley Diffin (46), of Primrose Terrace, sent them in a bid to “shock” her into resuming contact.

The court heard Diffin told her 24-year-old daughter Claire she “needed a good slap.”

That message was ignored. But 10 minutes later, a further text was received. It stated: “If you do anything to stop me seeing my angel, I will break your neck, you spoiled brat.”

The accused also contacted her other daughter, Lee-Ann (28), who had just given birth and was depressed. Diffin told her: “F*** you, f*** my grand-daughter, f*** yous all.”

Lee-Ann spoke to her sister and they decided to contact the police.

But when charged, Diffin replied: “I can threaten my daughter any way I like. I still plead not guilty.”

But she changed her tune when she appeared in court and pled guilty to repeatedly sending text messages to Claire Melley and threatening her with violence on February 23.

She also admitted a second charge of contacting Lee-Ann Melley on May 2 and shouting and swearing at her.

Depute fiscal Charmaine Cole said that the two complainers are daughters of the accused and described their relationship as “turbulent.”

On February 18, Claire asked her mother to stop contacting her as she “needed space.”

The accused agreed but sent the first of the texts five days later. A second followed 10 minutes later.

“That message was also ignored but Claire received over 50 more texts,” added Ms Cole.

The second daughter hadn’t spoken to her mother for “a number of years” but when she became pregnant she tried to rebuild the relationship.

On May 2, however, she received the abusive message from her mother.

The court heard previously that she had enjoyed a good relationship but her daughters but felt “isolated” when that stopped.

“She was utterly devastated by this lack of communication. She was texting to try and get her daughters to engage with her. She was trying to shock them into speaking and get a response.”

Solicitor Cliff Culley told the court on Wednesday that the accused was approaching 47 years old and had never been in any previous trouble.

A background report indicated she was “much more at one with herself” and was now speaking to her daughters.

The break-up with her former partner had triggered the offences and she “wasn’t well” at that time.

Sheriff Michael Fletcher told her: “These were two unfortunate sets of circumstances. They related to family difficulties and occurred at a stage you required medical treatment.”

As she had been of good behaviour since August, he agreed to admonish her.