Father cleared of 'domestic abuse' after hiring PI to track kids' mum

Father, 31, accused of stalking and coercive behaviour after he hired a private detective to track down the mother of his two children is cleared of wrongdoing

• Hayden Miller, 31, hired PI to track children and their mother after she ran off
• Sarah Peet, 31, moved in with her sister 275 miles away from ‘terrifying’ partner
• Mr Miller, from Rochdale, cleared of charges as PI used with ‘legitimate purpose’

A father who was accused of stalking and being a ‘domestic abuser’ by police after he hired a private detective to track down the runaway mother of his two children has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Businessman Hayden Miller, 31, had paid a PI to trace beautician Sarah Peet to her sister’s new property 275 miles from home after she disappeared with the youngsters in late 2021 in a £14,000 VW Golf had given her ‘gift-wrapped in a bow’.

The transport company owner, from Norden, near Rochdale, Greater Manchester was charged with coercive behaviour and stalking – facing up to five years in prison – after Miss Peet, also 31, claimed her new home was a ‘safe space’ from Mr Miller whom she said had ‘given her grief’ during their relationship.

A police officer also accused Mr Miller of ‘domestic abuse’ after he had made a request under the domestic violence disclosure scheme, known as Clare’s Law as part of his inquiries into Miss Peet’s whereabouts.

In the enquiry he said she abused alcohol and that he was worried about the welfare of their daughters, a court heard.

Businessman Hayden Miller (pictured), 31 from Norden, Greater Manchester, paid a PI to trace the mother of his two children to her sister’s new property 275 miles from home and was accused of stalking and coercive behaviour – but was cleared of all charges in court

Beautician Sarah Peet (pictured), 31, claimed her new home was a ‘safe space’ from Mr Miller whom she said had ‘given her grief’ during their relationship

He subsequently insisted Miss Peet, known to friends as ‘Sally’, was regularly in debt due to her overspending on luxuries and said he had hired the private eye to serve legal papers on her after she refused to cooperate with family mediation meetings.

At Bolton Magistrates’ Court following a nine month legal ordeal, Mr Miller was cleared of both charges after Justices of the Peace accepted he had hired the private eye for a ‘lawful purpose.’

They said Miss Peet gave ’emotive evidence’ and ruled that Mr Miller’s explanation was ‘credible.’

The couple started dating in October 2019 after meeting via the Plenty of Fish dating website. Miss Peet gave birth to their first child in September the following year and then their second in October 2021.

But she claimed that Mr Miller would drink heavily and tried to stop her seeing her sister who lives in Somerset. She also said he would hide from her mother when she came to visit them claiming she was ‘too nosy’ and did not want her in the house

Speaking from behind a screen, Miss Peet told the court: ‘He would ask to see my bank account to see what my overdraft was and what I was spending. He said I needed to stop paying for my luxuries and certain items that I wanted for myself – in particular, my GlossyBox cosmetics subscription which was about £10 per month.

‘I felt that I did not have anything that I could keep for myself. I enjoyed buying it. I have got a beauty qualification and it was nice to treat myself but I ended up having to stop it.’

She also claimed Mr Miller watched her enter the security code on her mobile phone so that he could secretly gain access to it later.

‘I was a bit annoyed in a way because of my privacy,’ she added.

Mr Miller (pictured) said that he finally saw his children again in November 2022, nearly a year after they had gone with their mother

‘I do have a right to privacy if I am having a conversation with friends and family and I thought he was invading my privacy.

‘Then there was an occasion when I tried to get past him on the landing. He came towards me and accused me of trying to push past him. He put his finger under my chin and said, “How dare I try and push past him.”

‘I was just terrified really. He said I was a tramp.’

Miss Peet added: ‘In arguments he would quite often say to me that I am known to social services for hurting our baby. It would make me feel awful. I was too scared to say anything. I did not know how he would react.’

She eventually left the pair’s home in December 2021 and moved to her sister’s new home in Glastonbury without telling Mr Miller where she was going. But she went to police after Mr Miller sent a relative a photograph of her new address and alleged a Tile Bluetooth key ring she had been given for Christmas was used by him to track her movements.

‘I was scared for my family’s safety and this place was my safe space,’ Miss Peet told the hearing.

‘I did not know the purpose for the message – it seemed like a threat. I called my health visitor for advice and she said to report it to police.

‘He was tracking me and I felt like a prisoner. I was going out looking over my shoulder everywhere. I was even worried about people speaking to me. I felt I was being watched all the time and I could not live my life.’

Miss Peet’s brother-in-law Michael Baller told the court: ‘The whole reason she came to us was supposedly a safe space where she could be away from Hayden and the private investigator tracked her down to our location and took that away from her.

‘She was in a panic and became paranoid and stressed, constantly thinking that she was being followed or watched. She was completely taken aback from being herself. She was not in a good place, she was on edge.’

PC Joanne Walmsley of Greater Manchester Police said she processed Mr Miller’s Claire’s Law application to find out information about Miss Peet’s past but she added: ‘I did not think the circumstances outlined by the applicant fitted the criteria. I was concerned because in my opinion it read like a domestic violence abuser trying to use the scheme to track down a victim who had fled their home.

‘There were no concerns about the children’s safety and he was ultimately informed that the application for disclosure was unsuccessful.’

‘For all the time I have known Sally (pictured) she would moan about her finances. She was always in overdraft and I would always lend her money to pay her overdraft and whatever bills she needed to pay for,’ Mr Miller told the court

In his evidence Mr Miller, said: ‘For all the time I have known Sally she would moan about her finances. She was always in overdraft and I would always lend her money to pay her overdraft and whatever bills she needed to pay for.

‘I gave her my debit card and I bought her a £14,000 car which she absolutely loved. It was a surprise present – it was gift wrapped with a bow.

‘We did argue quite a bit – but money was one thing we never argued about. She asked for money and I never complained about it.’

Mr Miller added: ‘I did employ a private detective on the advice of my father, the family solicitor and mediator. I did family mediation for three hours and she refused hers and we needed to demonstrate that the court documents were sent to the right address before we sent them.

‘We initially believed she was living with her sister in Bath but that was an old address and when another one was found, I asked what kind of car was outside and established the address. I have never been there. I did not follow her or track her.

‘I never controlled her – if anything I have enabled her to get about as I have given her a car. I never stopped her from going down South. It was her choice not to go and see her sister.’

Mr Miller said that he finally saw his children again in November 2022, nearly a year after they had left his home with their mother.

In returning verdicts of not guilty, JP Gerrard Connor said: ‘Miss Peet was emotive in her address but your evidence Mr Miller was credible.

‘We believe Miss Peet was free to go to visit her family whenever she wanted and you hired the private investigator for a legitimate purpose.’

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