Man launched smear campaign amid high court dispute

A man who launched a smear campaign against his stepsister during a bitter inheritance battle has been jailed for almost 10 years.

Raymond Birnie, 75, became involved in the High Court battle with his brother and stepsister over their late father’s estate in August 2015.

The criminal case began in February 2017 when Birnie used an email address in his brother’s name to send a message to his stepsister urging her to stop the case “before it gets nasty” and threatening to drive a car into her house. 

Pictured: Raymond Birnie, 75. 

Birnie sent further emails, repeating the threats with the car, as well as being abusive and accusing his stepsister of being a paedophile.

Then, in December 2017, Birnie sent a letter to his stepsister, threatening to post leaflets through all the doors in a village near Ely, where she lived with her partner, claiming they were suspected of being involved in grooming children online.

He followed through on his threat and the leaflet, which purported to be from an online child activist group, and included a photograph of her and her husband, their names and address, was sent to residents of the village in March 2018.

Birnie sent another letter to her shortly after purporting to be from the online child activist group, making further threats and threatening to post more leaflets in the village.

He was arrested and bailed in March 2018 and produced documents which claimed his brother was behind the previous threats and smears.

Birnie’s brother was arrested but cleared of all offences after investigations found computer evidence Birnie had set up the account in his brother’s name and used it to conduct his campaign against his stepsister and brother.

After a jury found Birnie guilty, he went on the run while on bail, living in a campervan which displayed false number plates.

While on bail for the offences against his stepsister and brother, Birnie attacked a High Court bailiff and threatened a chartered surveyor with a knife in Suffolk.

On Monday (17 February), at Huntingdon Law Courts, Birnie, of Hillcrest, Peasenhall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, was jailed for nine years and three months, having been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, witness intimidation, actual bodily harm, criminal damage, threatening a person with a bladed article in a private place and two counts of failing to surrender bail.  

Sentencing Birnie, Judge Mark Bishop described his actions as "meticulously planned", "manipulative", "vindictive" and "calculated to be as damaging and humiliating as possible".

He was also handed an indefinite restraining order against his stepsister.

Detective Sergeant Sean Clery said: “This was an incredibly complex case and Birnie caused immense distress for his relatives by smearing his sister and her husband as paedophiles and trying to frame his own brother.

"The consequences of Birnie’s actions have been life-changing and the damage he has caused is immeasurable.

"I am pleased that justice has prevailed and applaud the victims for having the courage and resilience to endure through what has been a difficult journey.”