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Hugh Grant's PA was stalked and abused to the brink of suicide by her own mother, a court has heard.
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court → see → mother
Laura Peel, 39, asked her mother Michelle Scully, 60, to help with childcare following the birth of her son with her City lawyer husband.
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Peel → ask → husband
But Scully began aggressively criticising their parenting skills and launched a 'horrific' campaign of abuse, which included telling her daughter she should kill herself.
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she → begin → herself
'Vengeful' Scully also tried to embroil Mr Grant in the row, and demanded from the couple more than £200,000 she felt they owed her, the jury heard.
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jury → try → her
Scully, of Church Lane, Lelant, St. Ives, Cornwall, is on trial at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court, where she has pleaded not guilty to two counts of stalking between 2022 and 2024.
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she → plead → 2022
She has admitted 'abusing' her daughter, but claimed it was motivated by concern for her grandson.
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it → admit → grandson
Laura was Mr Grant's PA on films including The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Cloud Atlas, Florence Foster Jenkins, The Rewrite, and Hugh Grant: Taking on the Tabloids.
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Laura → include → Tabloids
Michelle Scully, 60, sent a barrage of abusive messages to her daughter, laying into her parenting skills, the court heard
Laura Peel, 39, and her husband Danny Peel enlisted Scully to help out after the birth of their son, but the arrangement soon turned sour
Giving evidence from behind a screen, Laura, who sobbed throughout, told the trial: 'You're emotional and then your mother starts trying to destroy your life with things like: "Have you killed (son) yet?"
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you → send → son
'She is sending messages at 2am with horrible bile while we are awake, trying to feed our baby.
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we → send → baby
It was not the start in life we wanted for him and it was very traumatic for both me and Danny.
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it → want → me
Oxford-educated solicitor Danny Peel, 45, became a particular target of Scully, who labelled him 'a piece of scum' and a 'disgusting pig', and said he was neglecting his fatherly responsibilities.
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he → educate → responsibilities
Prosecutor James Halliday told the jury: 'This was a systematic, deliberate campaign of stalking and harassment, involving reporting Mr Peel to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and instigating civil County Court proceedings.
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This → tell → proceedings
Sadly, Laura Peel contemplated taking her own life during the abuse.
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Peel → contemplate → abuse
Scully was staying at the couple's home in south-west London, but her relationship with the couple turned sour as soon as they returned with their son.
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they → stay → son
Her behaviour resulted in four police warnings.
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behaviour → result → warnings
'My mum was coming to cook and support us in the early days,' explained Laura.
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Laura → come → days
'She started criticising our parenting and (our son) was losing weight.
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son → start → weight
She would take (our son) out of Danny's arms.
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She → take → arms
'She was angry and then she left.
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she → leave → ?
I was really upset because the last thing you want when you have a newborn baby is to fall out with your mother.
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you → want → mother
She was telling us we were bad parents and that's when the abusive messages started.'
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messages → tell → us
Ms Peel said she was driven to the brink of suicide by her mother's incessant abuse
Laura, giving further evidence in the second week of the trial, told the jury: 'My mum regularly, in the heat of an argument, told me she wanted me to kill myself.
'
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me → say → myself
I felt I wanted to die when my mum told me I was worthless and that my husband was worthless in an hour-long phone conversation and that I would be in the gutter, where I belong.'
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I → feel → gutter
Mr Halliday said the abusive messages began immediately after Scully left the house, and that she also emailed Mr Peel's City commercial law firm, Travers Smith, where he is a partner.
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he → say → firm
Scully also demanded the repayment of £225,000 from the couple, threatening to cut Laura out of her will.
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Scully → demand → will
She wrote in one text: 'You are such an awful daughter, vile and greedy.
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You → write → text
I really detest you.'
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I → detest → you
Mr Halliday said: 'She made comments that Laura only went out with Danny for his money.'
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Laura → say → money
A text Ms Peel received from her mother read: 'You're a spoiled brat, who married a disgusting pig of a man.'
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who → receive → man
In an email to Mr Peel's firm, Scully alleged he 'misappropriated property' and claimed he coerced her out of money.
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he → allege → money
She claimed he had said the couple's £3m house purchase would fall through without her financial assistance.
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purchase → claim → assistance
Scully claimed she lost £300,000 to the couple and launched civil proceedings for the return of £31,000, but this was abandoned.
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this → claim → 31,000
There is no suggestion Mr Peel behaved improperly.
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Peel → be → ?
Scully also contacted friends and other family members of the couple, continuing with her allegations and criticism.
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Scully → contact → allegations
Ms Peel said: 'There were so many awful things.
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Peel → say → ?
I have told my mum private things and they have been twisted beyond recognition.
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they → tell → recognition
'The whole thing was awful and she was now damaging Danny's career.
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she → damage → career
It was really upsetting and she is someone known for vengeance and taking people down.'
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she → know → people
Ms Peel told the trial her mother was responsible for ending her working relationship with Hugh Grant.
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mother → tell → Grant
She said: 'Hugh Grant offered me another job, working on his campaign, which I was interested in... but mum stopped me and said he was fobbing me off and would evict me from the house if I took it.'
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I → say → it
…and 22 more, not listed.
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