Jay Hulme, a transgender poet and volunteer at St Nicholas Church in Leicester, was subjected to a devastating campaign of stalking and harassment by Venessa Pinto, a lay preacher employed by the Leicester diocese of the Church of England. The stalking began after Hulme rejected Pinto's romantic advances and involved online abuse, false allegations, and threats, escalating to physical safety concerns. Despite reporting to Leicestershire Police and the Church, initial responses were inadequate, with the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, dismissing Hulme's complaint and accusing him of witchcraft. Pinto was eventually convicted of stalking in May 2024, but the incident left Hulme financially and emotionally scarred, highlighting significant safeguarding failures by both police and the Church.
Leicester Church of England: A preacher asked me out and then started stalking me
StalkingLGBTThe Church of EnglandChristianity
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Jay Hulme, a transgender poet and volunteer at St Nicholas Church in Leicester, was subjected to a devastating campaign of stalking and harassment by Venessa Pinto, a lay preacher employed by the Leicester diocese of the Church of England. The stalking began after Hulme rejected Pinto's romantic advances and involved online abuse, false allegations, and threats, escalating to physical safety concerns. Despite reporting to Leicestershire Police and the Church, initial responses were inadequate, with the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, dismissing Hulme's complaint and accusing him of witchcraft. Pinto was eventually convicted of stalking in May 2024, but the incident left Hulme financially and emotionally scarred, highlighting significant safeguarding failures by both police and the Church.
Trending- 1 Summer 2021: Venessa Pinto asks Jay Hulme out and begins stalking after rejection.
- 2 Weeks later: Hulme meets Pinto, who yells at him.
- 3 Hulme reports harassment to Leicestershire Police, but abuse continues.
- 4 Police visit Venessa, advise Jay to delete social media.
- 5 Jay compiles evidence and hands it to Church of England.
- 6 Venessa books onto the same Jesuit retreat as Jay.
- 7 Church HR investigation concludes Venessa responsible for abuse.
- 8 Bishop Martyn Snow dismisses Jay's complaint and accuses him of witchcraft.
- 9 More severe online messages, including pornographic content and Jay's address, are posted.
- 10 Jay reports to police a second time, but feels no urgency.
- 11 Late 2022: Leicester Diocese announces Venessa Pinto's departure.
- 12 December 2022: Jay goes to police a third time.
- 13 March 2023: Venessa Pinto is arrested and devices confiscated.
- 14 End of 2023: Venessa Pinto is charged.
- 15 May 2024: Venessa Pinto pleads guilty to stalking and is convicted.
- Jay Hulme suffered severe emotional distress, financial hardship, lost contracts, and felt unsafe.
- Venessa Pinto was convicted of stalking, given an 18-month community order, and banned from contacting Jay for a year.
- Pinto's licence to preach was revoked by the bishop.
- Kat Gibson was made redundant from her post.
- Leicestershire Police acknowledged shortcomings in their initial response.
- The Church of England faced criticism for its handling of the complaint and safeguarding failures.
What: A lay preacher, Venessa Pinto, stalked and harassed Jay Hulme, a church volunteer, after he rejected her romantic advances. The stalking involved online abuse, false allegations, threats, and attempts to physically track him. The Church of England's Leicester diocese and local police initially failed to adequately address Hulme's complaints, with Bishop Martyn Snow dismissing the complaint and accusing Hulme of witchcraft. Pinto was eventually arrested and convicted.
When: The stalking began in the summer of 2021. Jay Hulme went to the police again in December 2022. Venessa Pinto was arrested in March 2023 and pleaded guilty to stalking in May 2024. The article was published on 2025-06-29 (Note: This timestamp is in the future relative to the other articles and current date, but processed as per user's likely intent).
Where: Leicester, England (St Nicholas Church, Leicester Cathedral, Leicester diocese); rural Wales (Jesuit retreat).
Why: Venessa Pinto's actions stemmed from Jay Hulme's rejection of her romantic advances. Her behavior was described as unpredictable and adversarial, with mental health struggles mentioned as a factor. The failures of the Church and police were due to inadequate safeguarding protocols, dismissal of online abuse, and a lack of belief in the victim's account.
How: Pinto initiated contact, asked Hulme out, and upon rejection, sent angry messages, made false allegations online, created anonymous accounts, posted extreme pornographic content, and tweeted his address. She also booked herself onto the same retreat as Hulme. The police initially advised Hulme to delete social media. The Church's HR investigation found Pinto responsible, but Bishop Snow dismissed the complaint and accused Hulme of witchcraft. Eventually, police arrested Pinto, and she was charged and convicted.