Man jailed after obsessively tracking wife

A man who obsessively monitored his wife’s every move, making her life a misery, has been jailed for five years.

Charles Linsey, 30, of Brick Lane, Mepal, near Ely, tracked the victim through her phone, tracking devices, and cameras installed throughout their home - forcing her to spend most of her time, if she wasn’t at work, confined to one room to avoid surveillance.

Linsey’s fixation began in 2022 and initially, the victim agreed to a tracker on her phone to reassure him, but his controlling behaviour escalated.

Without her knowledge, Linsey deleted her colleagues and declined friend requests on her social media accounts.

And unbeknown to the victim, Linsey kept lists of her passwords and addresses she visited - documenting how long she stayed. He logged into her devices, viewed photos and messages, and installed a tracker on her car.

He used cameras inside and outside the home to monitor her constantly and when she tried to turn cameras away, he threatened to report her for criminal damage.

The victim eventually confided in friends and family and moved out in April, but Linsey continued hacking her WhatsApp account.

He would also watch her over the fence at her new address.

In May, when Linsey saw a friend was at the victim’s home, he became enraged, banged on her door, shouted abuse, and scratched her friend’s car.

The victim dialled 999, and officers took her to a relative’s home to stay.

But later that night, when the victim went to get a drink of water, she saw a silhouette at the window, which was Linsey outside, shouting, “where is she? Send her out”.

He then sent a barrage of abusive messages and calls.

The victim also realised evidence she had been gathering for about two years regarding Linsey’s behaviour and non-molestation order application, was disappearing from her phone.

Linsey had been remotely accessing and deleting documents.

Linsey was arrested, and officers found a firearm, knives, and handwritten notes on  hacking, coding and the victim at his home.

On Monday (22 December), at Cambridge Crown Court, Linsey was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm, engaging in controlling/coercive behaviour in an intimate/family relationship and criminal damage.

He was also handed an indefinite restraining order.

Detective Constable Billie Baker, who investigated, said: “This was one of the most complex cases of coercive control I had ever come across, the level to which the victim was watched, tracked and monitored had a clear and profound impact. Linsey made her life a misery.

“I would like to commend the victim for her bravery and resilience throughout the investigative and court process. I hope that this sentence gives the victim a sense of closure so she can begin to move forward with her life.”

To report concerns or for more advice and support on domestic abuse, including coercive control, visit the force’s dedicated web pages.