Woman guilty of harassing ex-lover's wife

Margaret Denise Kronfeld was found guilty after she earlier pleaded guilty to using a telephone to annoy and using a telecommunications device to knowingly send fictitious messages. Photo / 123RF

An Auckland woman who had a three-year affair with a Dunedin businessman has been found guilty of harassing the man's wife with a "premeditated, persistent, vile barrage and attack'' via email and other communications.

Margaret Denise Kronfeld was found guilty of harassing the businessman's wife by sending emails and three charges of intentionally accessing a computer without authority.

In his reserved decision, released this week, Judge Michael Crosbie found Kronfeld guilty on all four counts after she earlier pleaded guilty to using a telephone to annoy and using a telecommunications device to knowingly send fictitious messages.

The harassment charge relates to April 5, 2015, when Kronfeld sent five messages to the man's wife using pseudonyms.

•Woman charged with harassing ex-lover's wife

The court heard the emails upset the businessman's wife.

"She said that she was being taunted/played with and that Mrs Kronfeld was constantly trying to frighten her and wanted her to beg,'' the decision said.

"She was in a 'nightmare' and said that some of the messages were rude.''

Kronfeld accepted she had a long affair with the man and it ended in February 2014.

She sent the emails to irritate the man's wife and did not think of the effect they would have and did not intend to harm her physical or mental health.

Judge Crosbie did not accept Kronfeld's evidence and thought it lacked credibility in many respects.

The charge was proved beyond reasonable doubt, he said.

Kronfeld will be sentenced via AVL on April 28.