A solicitor who bombarded a legal blogger with messages containing ‘aggressive threats of litigation and uninvited sexual innuendo’ has been convicted of stalking.
Andrew Jonathan Milne, 63, admitted in 1986, was convicted of stalking without fear after a seven-day trial at Stratford magistrates’ court. He had denied the charge but District Judge Towell found that his conduct towards court blogger Daniel Cloake in 2024, which included sending around 120 emails to Cloake, leaving two voicemails on his birthday, sending him a book and ‘loitering outside’ Cloake’s home, amounted to harassment.
The judge gave her verdict following a full day of closing submissions yesterday. She highlighted evidence contradicting Milne’s claim of an intimate relationship with Cloake, adding: ‘Your account there was a relationship is wholly contrary to the content of the emails you sent.’
The judge said: ‘Mr Cloake asserts there was no form of relationship beyond exchanging of pleasantries at court hearings and two lunches at the Law Society. I accept Mr Cloake’s evidence that was the extent of his interactions with you.’
The court previously heard Milne sent around 124 ‘pieces of communication’ including an unwanted gift to Cloake, while doorbell footage showed Milne at Cloake’s home, following two lunches at the Law Society.
Milne had claimed Cloake had told him he was in love with him and that he had been stalked by Cloake prior to the date of the allegations. Cloake said in his evidence he had emailed the solicitor only once.
Dismissing Milne’s allegations, the judge said she was ‘sure [Cloake] did not stalk you, that he did not follow you, that he did not attend your address, that he did not leave you notes’.
