Fitness instructor, 43, falsely accused married father-of-two of rape after he broke off their affair to get back with his wife

A fitness instructor falsely accused a married father of rape after he broke off their affair to get back together with his wife.

Rebecca Hooper, 43, bugged her fellow gym user's car and bombarded him with abuse on social media when he ended their 'casual' affair.

Her partner Brian Townsend, 47, also stalked the father-of-two's family after finding messages between the pair.

He even made abusive calls accusing him of being a rapist and turned up at his house to tell his daughter her father was a 'sexual predator'.

Now the pair have avoided jail after being handed 16-month suspended sentences and restraining orders banning them from contacting their victims for ten years after a trial at Newport Crown Court.

Prosecutor Christopher Evans said Hooper and the older man had met at the Bridgend Life gym, where she worked as a fitness instructor, and began a 'casual relationship'.

The victim then broke off the 'friends with benefits' arrangement after getting back with his wife.

Hooper began to bombard the man with messages encouraging him to resume the affair and would trawl through his Facebook pages commenting on old pictures.

She even sent a friend request to his wife after he blocked her on social media and WhatsApp before sending her a letter accusing her husband of being a rapist.

She made the allegation to police who arrested him but took no further action. 

The married father-of-two also had a tyre of his van deliberately punctured and Hooper was seen planting a tracking device on the vehicle.

Mr Evans said: 'This conduct caused him great distress and paranoia. He was constantly on the lookout for them.

'He started travelling on different routes and made his journeys longer than normal. He deactivated social media accounts so the defendants could not contact him and stopped attending the swimming pool, gym, and his son's rugby matches.

'He and his family were greatly affected by the complaint of rape.'

Hooper and Townsend, of Bryntirion, Bridgend, initially denied any wrongdoing but both later pleaded guilty to stalking.

In a statement to court, the victim said: 'The past 12 months have been hell for me and my family. The suffering we'll continue to deal with today and beyond.

'I don't think we will ever recover from this horrific crime - something I never ever wanted to go through.

'Emotionally I am broken - my family are broken. I wake up with hot sweats, struggling to sleep, and am always paranoid and worried about my family.

'I am anxious they might turn up at the front door. I make sure windows and doors are locked in our homes. 

'We feel like prisoners in our own home and our own community. I avoid the Bridgend area as I'm scared of seeing Rebecca and Brian.

'She accused me of rape - this is not true and was reflected in the outcome of that investigation but it will stick like mud. It breaks my heart daily worrying about what people might say as a result of their actions.'

Giles Hayes, defending Hooper, said she had an 'inability' to deal with the end of the affair.

Judge, Recorder Neil Owen-Casey said Hooper had 'an extreme reaction to the breakdown of a relationship'.

He ordered each to pay 500 compensation and £150 costs on top of the suspended prison sentences and restraining orders.