Nude photos distributed as revenge for affair

The Hawera District Court heard nude photos were placed on cars outside the fire station while a formal presentation was being held. Photo / File

A Taranaki woman distributed nude photos of her husband's mistress after finding out about the affair.

Gaylyne Joy Fowler, 49, appeared before Judge Philip Crayton yesterday at Hawera District Court on a charge of objectionable behaviour.

The court heard Fowler, who has no prior convictions, discovered her husband was having an affair when the woman in question emailed nude photos of herself to Fowler's husband.

The photographs were seen by Fowler's teenage son, which led to Fowler finding out about the affair.

This led to the end of her marriage, the court heard. The affair, and subsequent discovery, happened in 2014, however Fowler kept copies of the photographs as well as videos of sexual encounters between the woman and her husband.

In November last year, Fowler printed off several copies of the photographs onto A4 paper and then placed them on car windscreens of cars parked in the Hawera Fire Station car park at a time when the Fire Brigade was holding a formal presentation inside.

The court was told Fowler's ex-husband had been a chief fire officer with the Hawera Volunteer Fire Brigade.

A few days later, on November 9, an unaddressed envelope containing more nude photos was placed under the door of the victim's workplace.

This envelope was opened by the receptionist at the building, who handed them to the victim.

Later in the same month, more of the photos were distributed, to businesses in Hawera, the Hawera Fire Station and to the victim's husband.

The photos came with messages made from cut-out newspaper letters, identifying the victim as being featured in the photographs.

Police prosecutor sergeant Steve Hickey said the motive was "fairly obvious".

After Fowler entered a guilty plea to the charge, which carried a maximum $1000 fine, Judge Crayton told her he imagined she had had plenty of time to consider the trouble she had got into as a result.

"Whatever your motives, and however aggrieved you may have felt, you should not have responded in this way," he told her, before he fined her $250.

Fowler was jointly charged with another woman, Myree Mihi Woodhead, 44, regarding the offence.

Woodhead also has no prior convictions but did not enter a plea yesterday and was remanded until January 31.