Lesbian stalker and the vampire poet

Don Frame and Stan Miller

August 10, 2004

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CONVICTED: Honor Donnelly

CONVICTED: Honor Donnelly 1/2 Play Slideshow

A LESBIAN stalker who became obsessed with a `Vampire Queen' performance poet, showered her with flowers, presents and love letters - making her life a misery for nearly three years.

A court heard that former Inland Revenue worker Honor Donnelly, 49, became obsessed with Rosemary Garland and began pestering her at writers' and poetry meetings.

Miss Garland, from Manchester, works for Childline and often appears on stage as poet "Rosie Lugosi the Vampire Queen".

Lovesick poet Donnelly sent love letters to Miss Garland saying she would "go to the moon" to be with her.

The content of the letters was either of a sexual nature or dinner invitations. She applied to be a back stage dresser at a pantomime Miss Garland was appearing in in the hope of becoming her dresser.

Prosecutor Simon Barrett said that when attending poetry meetings, she would sit staring at Miss Garland.

She was eventually barred from meetings because of her physical aggression but still continued to travel to attempt to see her.

The court was told that she got upset when asked to stop sending presents and e-mails as they were becoming intrusive. She stopped for a while after being warned by police about her behaviour.

But last September she applied to be a backstage helper in a panto and said she wanted to be Miss Garland's dresser.

David Lees defending, said Donnelly, of Rawpool Gardens, Wythenshawe, had never been aggressive or violent.

Donnelly was convicted at Manchester Magistrates' Court of harassing her victim between May 2001 and October last year.

She was give a six month rehabilitation order and ordered to pay '75 costs.

She was also made subject to a year's restraining order, banning her from contacting Miss Garland and ordered not to attend any events where she is performing.

After the court case Donnelly said: "My feelings for her are dead. I don't wish to see her any more.

"I'm a lesbian, and I fell in love - not with Rosie Lugosi, but with Rosemary Garland. It's her loss."

Miss Garland, who says her work as Rosie Lugosi is a tongue in cheek comedy act, said: "This poor woman has intruded into my life for nearly three years and it has been a grim time.

"I could never have got through the ordeal but for the support of my friends and the help and support of the police, who were fantastic."

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Sarah X, Didsbury (10/08/2004 at 11:47)

This is the second Lesbian story you've had recently. I accept these are stories but why do you have to put "Lesbian stalker" in the headline? You never say "Straight stalker". This headline is pure sensationalism.

ed, manchester (10/08/2004 at 14:21)

c'mon Sarah - don't be so naive. Do you REALLY think the story would have been done if the lesbian line wasn't in it? The MEN should be above this kind of crap.

Kay, Manchester (10/08/2004 at 15:08)

Sarah, the 'Lesbian' in the title is, I feel justified, and not sensational. The vast majority of the population are straight, and readers will most likely make an assumption (rightly or wrongly) that most of the people in the headlines are straight too. It was necessary to make the a point of this satlker's sexuality, in order to indicate that her obsession was of a romantic nature, rather than the less frightening scenario of just an over-enthusisatic fan. I therefore think that, in this case, the reference to the woman's sexuality in the headline is relevant.

for gods sakes., the real world (10/08/2004 at 15:45)

ha ha ha ha ha !!!!

Carlos, Burnage (10/08/2004 at 17:04)

The fact that this women is a lesbian is important in the article, not to have the word wouldn't make sense. but where the paper drags itself into the gutter is to have it in bold in the headline. The impact this has is to imply the womans sexuality as "deviant".
yes, her obsession was unhealthy but not her sexuality.
P.S. i'm straight(heterosexual by default!)

Sarah X, Didsbry (10/08/2004 at 17:12)

Come on Kay, do you really think "Lesbian stalker and the vampire poet" is needed in the headline? The fact she is a lesbian can be mentioned in the story. It's just tabloid rubbish.

Mark, Fallowfield (10/08/2004 at 23:11)

I think that the headline "Vampire works for Childline" would have raised more eyebrows. Bit odd that.

baz, didsbury (11/08/2004 at 12:14)

Maybe the headline should simply have read: Woman stalks another woman! Great headline, that'll sell papers!

cath, longsight (11/08/2004 at 12:20)

Carlos - how does the word lesbian in the headline make it deviant? This is just your interpretation. The 'vampire' was stalked not because she was a 'vampire' but because she was a woman which makes it highly relevant that the stalker was a lesbian. The word stalker makes her sound more of a deviant - but that is just my interpretation of it!

Marc, Watford (11/08/2004 at 13:59)

I'm just glad both Rosie and the other woman can now move on with their lives without fear of further trouble.

Having been the victim of a stalker who did everything from track me across Europe, to attempt suicide in my driveway on more than one occassion, I can say with some authority that being stalked is one of the least funny experiences of my life!

Headlines schmedlines! Just spell my bloody name right!

Marc, Watford (11/08/2004 at 14:05)

Being truly stalked is a horrific experience. I'm glad for both these women that it is finally over and that they can hopefully both move on.

Naturally my sympathies lie largely with the stalked than the stalker but it must be horrid to be so obsessed with somebody that you simply cannot stay away from them!

Speaking as a person who has been seriously stalked in recent years I can vouch for the fact that it is singularly one of the least funny experiences of my life.

My stalker did everything from tracking me across Europe to numerous suicide attempts in my driveway.

Headlines schmedlines! Just spell me bloody name right!

Kay, Manchester (11/08/2004 at 15:08)

OK Sarah, I agree with you, the headline is just the usual sensationalist rubbish that the media always have fun with, but they do it with *everyone* and every story. If this had been a story about an older woman being fixated on a landscape designer, half her age, no doubt the headlines would have been 'Gruesome Granny Grabs Gullible Gardner' or some such nonsense. That's the tabloids for you. It's what they do.

rfb, Whalley Range (11/08/2004 at 15:56)

Best. Headline. Ever.

Yes, of course it's sensationalism. It's also funny (not, of course, for the people involved, but that's life).

Black Shuck, Marple, Stockport (18/08/2004 at 11:51)

I recently met Rosie at Satan's Hollow and she was lovely.

THE MARCH VIOLETS RULE!!!

Honor, Manchester (31/08/2004 at 19:25)

Hi, I'd like to thank those contributors who attacked the story about my supposed stalking of Ms Garland, on the basis of it's sensationalist headlines. It's true that MEN stood to gain from a sensational headline. What i was more upset by however was the completely inaccurate suggestion that there was threats or violence being made by myself toward Ms Garland. These inaccurate remaks were made by a duty CPS solicitor who had not been involved in the case at all until the day of sentencing, and was then reported as fact by MEN. There was never any accusation of violence or threatening behaviour by Ms Garland either in her statement to the police or in court. Had there been the sentence would rightly have been more severe.
A second misinterpretation, was also reported as fact, regarding the alledged ongoing incidence of stalking - the case was based in total on three emails (love letters) sent in 2001 and my subsrquent attendance to 'read' at a poetry event in October 2003
I was not barred by any court order from poetry events.
Both Ms Garland and myself are poets on a small LBGT poetry circuit in Manchester.
Our sexuality, was used to make a distressing time for us both worse than it need have been, and I have been subjected to verbal abuse, and the "real" kind of stalking that prosecutions of this kind should have been confined to.
The case has now been sent to appeal.

Brian, Newcastle upon Tyne (26/09/2004 at 11:23)

So, the defendent complained that during her act, Honor Donnelly stared at her. Really? I thought that members of the audience were supposed to do that to actors and performers!
I met Honor Donnelly recently and she is a charming person. It seems to me that "The Vampire" has gained much useful publicity here at the expense of a genuine admirer.
As for Honor, I hope that she can recover from this ordeal and carry on with her life. When in love, every man is a poet - so too are women!
Brian, Newcastle upon Tyne.

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