Kilmarnock woman who used voice-changing app to sound like man jailed for stalking campaign

A woman has been jailed after she used a voice-changing app and pretending to be a man during a stalking campaign.

Adele Rennie impersonated a male pharmacist when she matched with her victim on Tinder in August 2023.

The pair exchanged numbers before the 33-year-old from Kilmarnock sent flowers to her victims home. A date was later arranged between the woman and the man in the fake profile.

The meeting was cancelled at the last minute by Rennie, which resulted in the woman believing that the Tinder profile was a “catfish account”.

A voice note was then sent to the woman on August 27 from someone called ‘Cheryl’ who claimed to be a friend of the man in the profile and asked her “not to give up on him”.

The victim later received phone calls from the man, however, she believed the voice had been altered. Rennie sent unwanted explicit images to the woman on September 5 but the 33-year-old stated she did not mean anything by it and was unable to delete it.

Rennie sent another message a week later which contained an image of the victim’s workplace.

On October 8, the victim received a screenshot of Google Maps from Rennie showing that someone was outside her home.

A photograph of the woman’s street taken through a car window was then sent to her. Five days later Rennie sent tickets to a gig in London, however, the victim didn’t want to go.

The Kilmarnock woman then asked her to send the ticket on via Ticketmaster to an email address.

The woman was then shown pictures from the concert by a witness showing Rennie in attendance there. She then contacted police who searched Rennie’s home on November 14, 2023.

A mobile phone recovered from the property revealed an email address with the name of the man and searches for the victim in the internet history.

Investigators also discovered a photograph matching the fake male profile and recovered several bank cards, which had not been declared in accordance with Rennie’s sex offender notification requirement.

The 33-year-old appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on July 30 where she admitted four charges.

Rennie was sentenced to two years and four months in prison and made subject to a 12-month supervision order.

She was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for a period of ten years.

A non-harassment order, banning Rennie from approaching, contacting, or attempting to approach or contact her victim for a period of five years was granted.

The 33-year-old was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for a period of five years.

David Bernard, Procurator Fiscal for North Strathclyde, said: “Adele Rennie carried out a sophisticated stalking campaign despite being subject to strict notification requirements as a registered sex offender.

“We recognise that the trauma suffered by victims of stalking can be profound and distressing.

“We hope this conviction brings some comfort to those affected by Rennie’s concerning and manipulative behaviour.

“I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of such offending to come forward, report it and seek support.

“You will be listened to, and we will use all the tools at our disposal to seek justice.”