A nursery teacher responsible for a year-long stalking campaign against two women – in which she told funeral directors they had both died - has been ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work.
Emma Johnston, 49, admitted targeting her ex's mother and sister with dozens of false claims - including messages and letters from funeral and crematorium services, and reports to police alleging domestic abuse and benefit fraud.
She was branded "evil and warped" by one of her victims yesterday.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how a 71-year old leukaemia sufferer, received calls and letters from funeral directors stating she had died.
Parents at Hazlehead Primary, Aberdeen, where Johnston works, hit out at the time when it emerged the stalker had returned to her job as a nursery teacher just hours after pleading guilty to the crimes.
At the time Aberdeen City Council refused to discuss the case - or even to say whether Johnston, of Waterton Lawn, Stoneywood, was still teaching children.
Yesterday a spokeswoman confirmed she was still employed by the local authority but would not elaborate any further.
One of her victims - who did not wish to be named - said: "What she did to both of us was particularly nasty in the first instance, but my mother's illness adds a whole different dimension of evil to the whole situation.
"My mum was targeted more than us. She was getting the police at her door every other day about domestic abuse and other accusations.
"It's was disgusting to do that to a woman suffering with leukaemia. She was trying to inflict as much pain as possible on my brother without directly involving him.
"She's an evil and warped woman."
Appearing in the dock in June, Johnston admitted both charges of causing fear or alarm by stalking and was warned against any more contact with the women, or she would face jail.
The offences took place between February 2020 and March 2021.
An email was also sent to one victim's employer by Johnston claiming the woman had committed a criminal offence. She also sent a letter to Inchgarth Community Centre sharing false information.
However, claims initially made by the Crown Office that Johnston contacted the Dignitas Euthanasia Service pretending to be the 71-year old mother of her ex-partner were removed from the charges.
Defence agent Iain Hingston said: "I think that anyone looking at this will be able to see how extremely ill-advised it was and she recognises just how out of control it became.
"When asked by the police during her interview whether she regretted her actions she said: Yes, of course I do'."
Sheriff William Summers told Johnston that her behaviour and the resulting charges "exposed an appalling course of stalking towards the mother and sister of your former partner".
He added: "This was clearly considered and well planned and involved you making numerous false claims - including that one of the complainers had passed away.
"It was sinister in that you clearly sought to jeopardise the employment of the other complainer by, amongst other things, contacting her employer and that she had made a claim against her work."
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