A stalker made vile fake pornographic pictures of her victim and bombarded her with hundreds of “derogatory and grossly offensive” messages.

Leah Dipnall, 24, also set up social media accounts falsely claiming staff groomed residents for sex at the workplace of mental health therapist Katie Cooling. A court heard Dipnall carried out a campaign of terror for six weeks, during which she changed the online description of the Ms Cooling’s private therapy business to “sex toy shop”.

On one day alone, the woman sent 187 emails to the victim, saying “Die b****”, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

But Dipnall’s two-year prison sentence was suspended for two years yesterday, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Judge Michael Blakey said the “derogatory and grossly offensive” messages were designed to cause the victim “maximum distress”. He added: “The victim felt devastated and traumatised. She felt humiliation and shame. She felt as though she were being punished for something couldn’t have done. She had to seek medical help.”

The judge said he also “rejected” Dipnall’s attempts to “victim blame”. He added: “It has been said by you that the victim behaved in a manner that led to a significant breach of trust. I reject that and I reject the fact of your attempts to victim blame.”

But Judge Blakey acknowledged Dipnall’s troubled childhood and mental heath problems had an impact on her behaviour, adding: “You spent time in custody as a youth. You had troublesome experiences in care, to put it mildly, and very very troublesome experiences in foster care, You have had difficulties with your mental health exacerbated by your use of drugs and alcohol.”

Dipnall, of Oakfield Road, Alderley Edge, pleaded guilty to stalking at an earlier hearing.

The defendant became “fixated” with Ms Cooling after she moved out of a domestic abuse hostel in Stockport, Greater Manchester where the victim worked, in October 2021.

Between October 11 and November 27 that year, Dipnall sent the victim hundreds of emails, social media messages, letters and cards. They included a greeting card with details of Ms Cooling’s place of birth, mother’s maiden name and former place of work.

Dipnall, who had five previous convictions for 17 offences, also sent several topless pictures of herself to Ms Cooling, including on one occasion an image attached to a key ring, and signed her up for text message alerts from prayer groups and prank services. She also published the victim’s personal phone number online.

In a victim impact statement at an earlier hearing, Ms Cooling described how the stalking campaign left her fearing for her safety and meant she had to move to a different area and stop her private therapy work. She said: “Devastation has rippled through every area of my life as a result of this cruel attack. I have been deeply shocked and traumatised with the depth that the perpetrator went to, to know personal details about me and use those details to shame, punish and degrade me. No words can truly capture the levels of emotion experienced as a victim of stalking and harassment. The impact on my mental health has been immense.”

Kay Driver, defending, said Dipnall had a difficult upbringing, much of which was spent in care, and suffered domestic abuse which led to her being diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, anxiety, depression and PTSD. Ms Driver added: “She suffered greatly as a child at the hands of her parents and her foster carers. That led to significant mental health problems.

“This is a woman who clearly needs help, who has been let down by the system, by her parents. She needs assistance to become the useful member of society she wants to be.”

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