ANGRY that a woman he had met on a dating website was “fleecing” him, a Horton pensioner sought revenge by dowsing her car in brake fluid.

Clifford Perry poured the liquid over the bonnet and roof causing the paint to blister and peel off after the victim had allegedly tricked him into handing over hundreds of pounds in cash and refused to pay it back.

However, he later thought better of his actions and confessed to the police what he had done and offered to pay for the damage.

When he appeared in the dock before Somerset Magistrates they were told that 72-year-old Perry had met the country and western singer, who was in her late 50s, on the website Plentyoffish.com A stroke 10 years previously had left him with a degree of paralysis but he claimed it had also left him “trusting and vulnerable” and as a result he gravitated towards women who showed him affection.

Perry, of Riverside, pleaded guilty to causing £627.08 worth of damage to a Fiat Ideal belonging to Sarah Chant at Street on February 12 when he appeared before the court at Yeovil.

Prosecutor Lucy Coleman said the victim had left her car parked on Silver Road in Street and the following morning discovered it had been attacked.

“There was damage to the bonnet and roof where a liquid had been poured over it causing the pain to blister and come away,” she said.

“She suspected that Perry was responsible and three days later she had a call from him and a message was left where he offered to pay her £200 for the insurance excess and a further £300 for the inconvenience but he did not admit to the offence.

“The next day the defendant went to Yeovil police station asking for some advice after he had received 25 texts from an unknown number demanding money or the police would be involved and then admitted what he had done.”

During a voluntary interview he said he had got a friend to drive him to Street where he carried out the offence and he had later received text messages from someone who he thought was Miss Chant demanding £1,500, then £900 and then demanded further money or said the police would be involved.

In a victim impact statement read to the court Miss Chant said that since her involvement with Perry she was “a shadow of her former self” and was in fear for her life.

“I have found his behaviour to be quite scary and he has approached me from nowhere on some occasions and followed me,” she said.

“Each time the phone rings I think it is him and I get massive anxiety attacks, cannot trust anyone and I don’t think he will ever go away.”

Defending solicitor Ryan Seneviratne said that it soon became clear that the victim was asking Perry for money, including cash so she could go on a cruise with a family member just two weeks after they met.

“However, he felt flattered by the attention and loaned her the money but soon came to realise she was fleecing him,” he said.

“He was making approaches to her to ask for the return of his money but it was not getting him anywhere and he began to get angry so went to her address with the brake fluid.

The magistrates imposed a 12 month conditional discharge on Perry and ordered him to pay £627.08 compensation to the victim along with £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. They also made a two year restraining order during which the defendant must not contact Sarah Chant directly or indirectly or go to Silver Road in Street.