Former Northumbria Detective Given Suspended Sentence for Stalking Ex

Sue Thorpe, a former Northumbria Police detective, was found guilty of stalking her ex-partner, Barry Henderson, and misusing police computer data to look up information about him after their relationship ended. Over more than a year, Thorpe harassed Henderson with abusive messages, false accusations including claims of paedophilia, and attempts to damage his surfing business by posting defamatory content on social media and contacting organizations under false pretenses. She also created fake Tinder accounts to entrap him and appeared at his workplace multiple times. Despite the severity of her actions, Thorpe received a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years, alongside community service and a 10-year restraining order prohibiting contact with Henderson. Judge Amanda Rippon acknowledged Thorpe's long police career and personal struggles, including a miscarriage, as mitigating factors for the suspended sentence but emphasized the seriousness of her abuse of police computer access and the substantial harm caused to Henderson's personal and professional life. Henderson described the experience as a nightmare, suffering embarrassment, humiliation, and a significant impact on his business and day-to-day living.