A marine scientist with the moniker ‘Wild Angler’ vowed to ruin a prominent business executive after she ended an affair they had begun at a rehabilitation facility.
Nicholas Grasby, 42, hounded married City executive Justine Gallen with violent messages after she returned to her family after leaving the £3,640-per-week facility.
In one of his 50 jealously-fueled missives, Grasby, a specialist in fisheries management for the Environment Agency and an expert in the Japanese art of bonsai tree cultivation, warned Miss Gallen, “You are a bitter old alcoholic, and I have no qualms about torching you to the ground.”
In another, he remarked, “You are a wimpy-haired, saggy-faced old thug.”
55-year-old Miss Gallen, a former assistant for Credit Suisse whose firm advises numerous London investment banks, phoned the police.
After pleading guilty to harassment in Warrington Magistrates’ Court, Grasby was prohibited from contacting Miss Gallen, a mother of three, for one year under a restraining order.
The court heard that the couple met this year when they were both admitted to a clinic in Cuddington, Cheshire, near Northwich.
The prosecutor, Laura Simpson, stated, “A week after they began their affair, the defendant departed the rehabilitation center. From then on, they exchanged visits.
The court heard, however, that they fell out during Miss Gallen’s September 1 visit to Grasby. Before returning to his house, the duo went for a walk and a drink. Miss Simpson stated, “He had asked her to leave and was acting aggressively.” She vacated the premises and returned to Bath.
Since that occurrence, the defendant has sent countless abusive text messages to the victim.
Some individuals threatened her and her ex-partner.
The court heard that the victim was distressed by the texts.
In mitigation, Liam Kotrie emphasized that his client, who had no prior convictions, was not threatening the victim with arson when he stated he would “burn her to the ground”; rather, he intended to damage her name. He recognized that the restraining order was “the least this woman deserves” and said, “The communications were filthy.” They were quite malicious and intended to harm her.
Mr. Kotrie stated that the ‘weak’ couple’s relationship was toxic and that Grasby’s jealousy was exacerbated by his poor mental health following the ‘amicable’ dissolution of his previous marriage.
He stated to the court, ‘I have a letter from his physician stating that he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
He was taking antidepressants, but they weren’t as effective as they had were, so he turned to booze.
Mr. Kotrie stated that Grasby’s stay at the rehabilitation clinic cost tens of thousands of pounds. He said, “There, he began this friendship.” It was not a healthy way to continue doing things. Even after his departure, the relationship remained dysfunctional.
I spoke with him about the texts. He laments them. He is embarrassed by them. Clearly, he is attempting to make improvements. He is currently in therapy and maintains regular communication with his physician. He is making every effort to prevent a similar incident from occurring again.
During sentencing last week, magistrate Philip Pegum told Grasby, “Miss Gallen must have endured a terrifying time.”
Grasby, of Mobberley, Cheshire, who calls himself the Wild Angler on Instagram, was fined £653, ordered to pay £381 in costs and a victim fee, and assessed a victim surcharge of £30.
According to her web profiles, Miss Gallen attended the Royal High School in Bath, for which the annual tuition is £35,428.
In addition, she is listed as a partner at Executive Search Leaders, a London-based firm that has consulted on corporate mergers in the United States, Australia, Japan, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.