A 68-year-old who stalked his ex-wife of 30 years, getting keys cut for her home and planting listening devices in her bedroom, has appeared in court.

Brian Wilkin, of Harry Palmer Close, Fordham near Ely, split from his wife last year after he suspected she had been unfaithful.

A court heard how Wilkins began surveillance, but plans began to unravel when his ex-wife’s dog carried one of the devices to the woman.

It was in 2015 that Wilkin first suspected the woman of having an affair with a work colleague.

Over the next four years his behaviour became increasingly obsessive and confrontational, putting a large strain on the marriage.

In 2018 Wilkin lost his job, which made the situation worse, and he continuously kept tabs on where his wife was.

The pair eventually split and Wilkin moved out of the home they shared, but the woman continued living there for six months.

During this time Wilkin sat in his car and monitored the house on a daily basis and would patrol the outside, looking over fences.

Roughly two weeks after he moved out of the house, the woman’s dog approached her with a black recording device in its mouth.

The woman then bought her own home in Soham, but this didn’t stop Wilkin’s obsessive behaviour.

He continued to watch her new house daily, and would walk round, peer in and make excuses to come and knock on the door.

The woman ignored his actions and didn’t involve police because she didn’t want to get the man she had been married to for so long in trouble.

However, Wilkin’s behaviour continued to escalate to the point he would call the woman’s workplace and make accusations about the affair to other colleagues or go to her place of work to confront her.

In August 2019, the woman’s neighbour told her she had seen Wilkins entering her house with a key while she was at work.

The woman confronted Wilkin and he handed over a key. Just one month later the neighbour spotted Wilkin entering the house again.

The woman threatened to call the police if he didn’t give her the key he was using to enter her home. Wilkin then allegedly threw the key away.

In early November last year, the woman was redecorating her bedroom when she moved some bedside drawers and discovered a black recording device taped to the back of it.

Just over two weeks later, Wilkin confronted the woman’s work colleague’s wife about the affair allegations after turning up at her home.

He was arrested on December 1 and his home searched.

Officers discovered a recording device identical to the one the woman had found taped to her bedside drawers, together with packaging and instructions for recording devices.

Two keys were also found that fit the front door to the woman’s house.

Notebook pages with Soham and Ely co-ordinates on were discovered too, together with a magnetic GPS car tracker and its packaging.

In police interview, Wilkin made a full admission, disputing only the use of the magnetic tracker which he claimed was for his own car in case it was stolen.

He admitted stalking involving serious alarm or distress at a previous court hearing and was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday, December 3.

He was handed 10 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and handed a 10-year restraining order.

DC Ash Bryce, who investigated, said: “The lengths Wilkin went to in order to stalk and harass his ex-wife are nothing sort of extraordinary.

“I can only imagine the horror the victim must have felt when she discovered the listening devices and that Wilkin had a key to her new home.

“His truly shocking actions were completely unacceptable and I hope this sentencing sends a clear message that any type of stalking will not be tolerated in Cambridgeshire.

“No one should feel scared in their own home and we continue to work around the clock to safeguard victims and bring offenders before the courts.”