AddThis SmartLayers

Business editor found guilty of stalking former girlfriend

A senior journalist on a flagship Scottish newspaper has been found guilty of stalking his former girlfriend.

Terry Murden, business editor of The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday, had previously been in a relationship with PR consultant Nicki Sturzaker.

A court found that he had caused “fear and alarm” by Ms Sturzaker by sending repeated emails, contacting her employers and writing about  her in his newspapers.

The 57-year-old journalist, who had denied the charge, will be sentenced later this month.

Following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Sheriff Donald Corke said: “It is clear to me that in the whole circumstances of the case, you have engaged in a course of conduct that caused the complainer to suffer fear and alarm.

“It is also clear to me that you knew or ought to have known that engaging in that course of conduct would be likely to cause the complainer fear and alarm”.

Ms Sturzaker, who worked for PR firm the Big Partnership, told the court that a few months after she ended their relationship Murden had sent her an email saying he was going to make direct contact with her clients.

“I panicked because I felt it was blackmail and would affect my job,” she said.

She also told the court that a week after she left the Big Partnership, Murden had published two articles about her departure which she thought was an abuse of his position as business editor.

“He had cost me my job” she said. “I felt humiliated. I changed my mobile number. I wanted to get as far away from him as possible”.

Between July and October 2013 Ms Sturzaker said she received 15 emails from Murden and contacted the police

However Murden said the accusation that he had cost her her job was totally unfounded.

His solicitor Jim Stephenson said:  “Mr Murden had no idea he was committing an offence. He told the police he was hoping for a reconciliation”.

“He was trying to re-establish a personal and professional relationship. It was not his intention to cause fear and alarm”.

The procurator fiscal, Arlene Shaw, told the court Murden’s actions had had “a huge impact” on Ms Sturzaker’s life. “She felt threatened. Could not get on with her life,” she said.

“She felt the accused was obsessed with her, behaving irrationally and erratically towards her and this had a profound impact on her life.”

A spokeswoman for Johnston Press, publishers of The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday said:  “Following the conviction of Terry Murden we will now be conducting our own internal investigation in line with company policies.

“Until that investigation is complete it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”