Solicitor sentenced for stalking court blogger

A solicitor convicted of stalking a court blogger called his victim a "sex slave", a court has heard.

Andrew Milne, 63, targeted Daniel Cloake between March and August 2024, which included sending 120 emails, letters and attending the victim's London address.

Milne was given a seven-year restraining order, a 24-month community order and ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity days during his sentencing at Thames Magistrates' Court.

District Judge Lisa Towell said he had shown "no remorse whatsoever", and that he displayed "no empathy or insight into how you made Mr Cloake feel".

Milne previously made headlines after buying up dozens of freeholds to residential properties in Sheffield and threatening homeowners with legal action.

Cloake runs a court reporting website called Mouse in Court which states he is a "blogger and news gatherer with a keen interest in law and open justice".

Thames Magistrates' Court heard earlier that the pair originally met after Cloake approached Milne at court.

The hearing was told Milne displayed "fixated and obsessive behaviour" towards his victim, culminating in him leaving a handwritten letter at Cloake's address.

Milne, whose address is listed as a hotel in North Wales, spoke only to confirm his identity and to say he understood his sentence.

Addressing the defendant, the judge said more than 120 pieces of communication and a gift sent to Cloake were "unwanted" and, as a solicitor, Milne had a duty to be "professional".

"You made comments about him becoming your sex slave and hoping not to find a dead rodent, those are just examples - there were more," she said.

"He was genuinely fearful of you. I have no doubt that your contact has had an ongoing impact on him."

In a victim impact statement read on Cloake's behalf by prosecutor Reem Khatib, the blogger said Milne's messages also included "homophobic and transphobic" content.

Cloake said it was "disconcerting" to know Milne was sat at home writing long emails to him and "monitoring" tweets he had posted.

"I continue to fear that he will contact my family, send me aggressive notes or come to my house," he added.

Mitigating, Nathan Goldstein said Milne would be "seriously affected by these matters" and that "this is going to form a very significant punishment in its own right".

The defendant's probation officer said there was a "low risk of reoffending", Goldstein added.

Milne must also pay Cloake £850 in compensation as well as £650 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

Goldstein told the court Milne intends to appeal.

Last month, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) sanctioned Milne following the stalking conviction.

It ruled he may not act as a solicitor without the supervision of an approved person.

Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, previously called for the SRA to suspend Milne after his conviction, saying she had written to the regulator to "seek the immediate removal of his licence to practise".

The SRA has been contacted for comment.

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