A man who accused his town mayor ex-wife of being a “drug-taking adulterer” in letters to a weekly newspaper and her colleagues has been convicted of harassment.

Edward Hall split from his wife Bernie Hall last year shortly before she was appointed mayor of Marazion, near Penzance.

He subsequently sent letters to The Cornishman, along with Marazion Town Council, councillors and Penwith Community Development Trust, where Mrs Hall works, containing accusations about her conduct.

Truro Magistrates Court was told the letters alleged she had offered lines of cocaine in the Godolphin Arms in Marazion and that she had committed fraud by running up debts on credit accounts after leaving the family home.

Six letters in total were sent by 53-year-old Hall between June 2011 and April 2012 and he was found guilty of harassment without violence at the Magistrates Court last week.

He was given a two-year conditional discharge and placed under a restraining order for the same period which prevents him contacting Mrs Hall, while he was also ordered to pay £100 in costs.

One letter, which was sent to The Cornishman along with the PCDT and the town council, contained a copy of Mr Hall’s witness statement for their divorce proceedings, which detailed the marital problems the couple experienced after he suffered a serious accident four years ago.

In court, Mrs Hall said the accusations made against her were “a lot of lies”.

Hall said he did not realise the letters would cause distress to his former wife.

The court was told Hall had previously been given a public order warning for protesting carrying a banner which read “The mayor is a drug-taking, swinging adulterer”, just a few days after she had been appointed mayor in May last year.