‘White Witch of Rye’ avoids jail for controlling what ‘wizard’, 82, ate, drank & wore in terrifying stalking campaign

A BARRISTER dubbed the "White Witch of Rye" has avoided jailhouse aft storming into the location of a "wizard" and taking implicit his life.

Barbara Maura Lane, 42, became obsessed with 82-year-old Alfred Douglas aft signing up for his magic course.

She launched a terrifying stalking run against the self-proclaimed wizard that culminated successful her her smashing up his home.

Lane besides bombarded Alfred with calls and texts and successful 2020, persuaded him to fto her enactment successful his location aft spinning a web of lies.

Once inside, she took power of the widow's beingness - including putting herself successful complaint of his slope paper and account.

Lane besides controlled what helium ate, drank and wore and blocked him from seeing friends and family.

When locals successful Rye, East Sussex, expressed concerns for the ageing wizard, Lane claimed helium was senile and that she was his carer.

Lane has present avoided jailhouse aft pleading blameworthy to harassment and transgression damage.

The court heard she archetypal visited the wizard's location nether the guise of seeing his room connected the occult.

After persuading Alfred to fto her stay, helium and Lane - dubbed the "White Witch of Rye" by locals - became "inseparable".

But their relationship soon turned sour erstwhile Lane began to instrumentality implicit each facet of his life.

She allegedly forced Alfred to alteration his volition - making her the sole beneficiary of his location and store – worthy astir £1.5million.

Lane would besides alert into drunken rages and smash up Alfred's belongings aft downing mugfuls of gin.

She would basal astatine the ft of his furniture and propulsion books astatine him and told the widow helium was old, sick and dying.

At 1 stage, Alfred resorted to putting "big bolts" connected his chamber to support himself from Lane.

When Lane managed to snap these off, the wizard had to wedge a seat and piles of books against the door.

The run yet came to an extremity erstwhile the Irish enactment lashed retired aft seeing a representation of the King and Union Jack bunting successful his shop.

Lane smashed up a solid sheet connected his beforehand doorway and his greenhouse earlier pushing Alfred retired of his location and allegedly attacking his family.

After she was arrested, lying Lane told police she was Alfred's carer and that helium owed her £6,000.

She was charged with 7 offences including stalking, transgression harm and assault.

Lane was convicted of harassment without unit and transgression harm but the different charges were near to prevarication connected the file.

After the lawsuit Alfred’s household spoke of his ordeal and said the acquisition had near him “shattered and upset.”

His nephew, Paul Wilson-Patterson and his woman Anna said: “We’re precise relieved that this bizarre occurrence is down us. It has near my uncle shattered and upset.

“Barbara Maura Lane was treated with large kindness and generosity; she responded with malicious and convulsive behaviour.

“Her vicious cruelty to our household friends has caused large sadness. Her drunken rages person resulted successful transgression harm to our Uncle's property, which has taken galore months to repair and replace.

“She past breached her bail statement and continued to persistently harass household members by phone, email, station and societal media for respective months. Anyone who lets this idiosyncratic into their lives, is astatine risk.”