Daniel Finkelstein: Ian Oakley - my role in his downfall

A Tory parliamentary candidate who bombarded his Liberal Democrat rival with hate mail and vandalised the party's Watford headquarters was facing jail today after admitting more than 70 offences of criminal damage and harassment.

Ian Oakley, 31, of West Drayton, northwest London, admitted mounting a two-year hate campaign against Sal Brinton, who he considered his main rival to defeat the sitting Labour MP.

Oakley admitted making silent phone calls to her home and sending lesbian magazines and letters addressed to "Sal Bitchton" to her workplace.

The candidate, who resigned from the Conservative Party after his activities were discovered, also slashed tyres and wrecked shutters at the party's local offices.

His campaign of harassment was motivated by a “desire to change the political landscape in Watford" after he was chosen to be Tory candidate in 2006, St Albans Magistrates Court heard.

Donna Rayner, for the prosection, said he targeted Ms Brinton because he regarded her as his "main rival" to unseat Claire Ward, who had retained the seat for Labour in 2005.

“Mrs Brinton had lesbian magazines sent to her home address and her work address," she said.

“Campaign material was sent to her office which had been defaced with such phrases as ’Go back to Cambridge, you evil bitch’ and ’Suck my c*** Sal Brinton’.”

His extraordinary campaign later broadened to include anyone associated with the Watford Lib Dems. From February to May this year, Oakley hounded Russell Wilson, a Watford borough councillor, with letters accusing him of paedophilia and daubed graffiti on his home branding him a "scum scum perv".

“Letters were in fact sent to his neighbours stating he was a member of a child-abuse ring,” Ms Rayner said.

“A further letter said he was a ’sick c*** and child abuser’ was sent and torn Liberal Democrat leaflets were put through his door.”

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