Plymouth firefighter suspended after stalking woman

He appeared in court this month where he admitted beating a woman

A firefighter is set to face disciplinary procedures after he admitted in court an assault on a woman and stalking her. James Webber, of Marythorne Road, Bere Alston initially denied four charges, including one of assault on a woman by beating on October 23 last year and of stalking.

He appeared at Plymouth Magistrates' Court on October 2 where he amended his pleas to guilty to two of the charges. The court heard that the assault of the woman took place at an address in Bere Alston.

In addition, the court was told that between September 12 last year and September 24 Webber, aged 32, "pursued a course of conduct which amounted to the stalking" of the woman which he "knew or ought to have known amounted to the harassment of her".

The prosecutor said Webber had followed the woman while she was driving in her vehicle and turned up unannounced at her home address and sent text messages.

Magistrates ordered Webber to pay £400 towards court costs and made him subject of a community order until April 2026. In addition he would have to undertake rehabilitation activity for up to 25 days and carry out 160 hours of unpaid work.

Webber, a firefighter at Greenbank fire station, was also handed a restraining order not to contact the named woman and a named male, unless in a specific court setting.

The order - which will remain in force until October 1, 2029 - restricts him from going to a named Tavistock street and a named business in the centre of Tavistock.

PlymouthLive is not reporting the names and the addresses in the restraining order to protect the individuals involved.

A spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: "We hold all of our people to a high standard of behaviour through our Service values.

"As soon as we were informed of James Webber's arrest, we immediately suspended him from duty as a wholetime firefighter at Greenbank Fire Station and on-call crew manager at Bere Alston Fire Station, pending the result of the criminal investigation.

"We are appalled to hear of the crimes that James has now been found guilty of and our thoughts are with those affected by his actions. Now that his trial has come to an end, we are able to progress with our own internal disciplinary process, which we expect to be completed within weeks."

Where to get help for domestic abuse

If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are unable to talk on the phone, call 999 and listen to the questions from the operator and if possible, respond by coughing or tapping the head set.

If prompted, press 55 to Make Yourself Heard and this will transfer your call to the police.

Pressing 55 only works on mobiles and does not allow police to track your location.

If you are deaf or can't verbally communicate, you can register with the emergencySMS service.

Text REGISTER to 999. You will get a text which tells you what to do next. Do this when it is safe so you can text when you are in danger.

In a non-emergency email 101@dc.police.uk or call 101.

You can report incidents anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at - Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org)

National Domestic Abuse Helpline

You can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for free and confidential advice, 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247.

The Men’s Advice Line

The Men’s Advice Line is a confidential helpline for male victims of domestic abuse and those supporting them.

Telephone: 0808 801 0327

Email: info@mensadviceline.org.uk

Galop - for members of the LGBT+ community

Galop runs the National LGBT+ domestic abuse helpline.

Telephone: 0800 999 5428

TypeTalk: 18001 020 7704 2040

Email: help@galop.org.uk

Women’s Aid

Women’s Aid has a live chat service available Mondays to Fridays between 10am and 12pm as well as an online survivor’s forum. You can also find your local domestic abuse service on their website.

The Survivor’s Handbook, created by Women’s Aid, provides information on housing, money, helping your children and your legal rights.

Women’s Aid have guidance documents on domestic abuse and coronavirus for victims, family and friends, and community members of those affected.

Hestia

Hestia provides a free mobile app, Bright Sky, which provides support and information to anyone who may be in an abusive relationship or those concerned about someone they know.

Hourglass

The Hourglass confidential helpline provides information and support to anyone concerned about harm, abuse or exploitation of an older person.

Telephone: 0808 808 8141

Shelter

Shelter provide free confidential information, support and legal advice on all housing and homelessness issues including a webchat service.

NSPCC

The NSPCC operates a national female genital mutilation (FGM) helpline, which offers guidance and support if you are worried about a child who is at risk of FGM or about somebody who has already undergone FGM.

Telephone: 0800 028 3550

Email: fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk

Sexual Assault Referral Centres

Sexual Assault Referral Centres provide advice and support services to victims and survivors of sexual assault or abuse.

Click here to join PlymouthLive on WhatsApp and we'll send breaking news and top stories directly to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.