Mother Accused Of Stalking Daughter & Son-In-Law

Accused: Michelle Scully

The PA to actor Hugh Grant was stalked and abused to the brink of suicide by her own mother, critical of her and her City lawyer husband’s parenting skills, a court heard.

Laura Peel had asked her mother Michelle Scully, 60, to help out, following the birth of her son, but the couple immediately came under a barrage of criticism, a jury were told.

A particular target was Oxford-educated solicitor Danny Peel, 45, who Scully labelled: ‘a piece of scum’ in a text message, claiming he fell well short of his fatherly responsibilities.

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 the couple between 2022 and 2024.

Laura was Hugh’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’.

She was also a PA to interior designer Fiona Barratt-Campbell and her husband, ex-footballer Sol Campbell.

Scully was staying at the couple’s home in Barnes, south-west London, but their baby son, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was losing weight, which the defendant criticised them for.

When Scully was given the option of remaining and being supportive or leaving she chose the second option.

Laura Peel & Danny Peel

Giving from evidence behind a screen an emotional 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?’

“She is sending messages at 2.00am with horrible bile while we are awake, trying to feed our baby.

“It was not the start in life we wanted for him and it was very traumatic for both me and Danny.”

Earlier 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.

“Sadly, Laura Peel contemplated taking her own life during the abuse.” 

The court heard the couple’s relationship with Scully, who was there to assist, turned sour as soon as they returned to their home with their son.

“She was very critical of their care, saying they were negligent parents in the way they were looking after their son,” explained Mr Halliday.

“My mum was coming to cook and support us in the early days,” explained Laura. “She started criticising our parenting and (our son) was losing weight. We had midwives and health visitors and it was a struggle.

“My mother was not happy about the course of action we were taking and was criticising our parenting, particularly Danny and would take (our son) out of his arms.

“She was angry and then she left. I was really upset because the last thing you want when you have a newborn baby is to fall out with your mother.

“She was telling us we were bad parents and that’s when the abusive messages started.”

Mr Halliday said the abusive messages began immediately and Scully also emailed Mr Peel’s City commercial law firm Travers Smith, where he is a partner.

She demanded the repayment of £225,000 from the couple, threatening to cut Laura out of her will, writing in one text: ‘You are such an awful daughter, vile and greedy. I really detest you.’

“She made comments that Laura only went out with Danny for his money.”

In an email to Mr Peel’s firm Scully said he “misappropriated property” and claimed he coerced her out of money under duress by claiming the couple’s £3m house purchase would fall through, without financial assistance.

Scully claimed she lost £300,000 to the couple and launched civil proceedings for the return of £31,000, but this was abandoned.

There is no suggestion Mr Peel behaved improperly.

Scully also contacted friends and other family members of the couple, continuing with her allegations and criticism.

“It was devastating. The things she was saying about Danny weren’t right,” Laura told the trial. “It felt like a complete invasion of privacy and showed what she was prepared to do. They all blocked her.

“There were so many awful things. I have told my mum private things and they have been twisted beyond recognition.

“The whole thing was awful and she was now damaging Danny’s career. It was really upsetting snd she is someone known for vengeance and taking people down.”

Another text she received from her mother read: ‘You’re a spoiled brat, who married a disgusting pig of a man.’

Laura told the trial her mother was responsible for ending her working relationship with Hugh Grant at a time when she was also her daughter’s landlady.

“I worked for Hugh Grant for a few years and was supposed to take over from a woman who had been working for him for twenty years, but she never left.

“Hugh Grant offered me another job, working on his campaign, which I was interested in and staying on the same wage, but mum stopped me and said he was fobbing me off and would evict me from the house if I took it.”

The jury were told during the stalking campaign, which saw Scully receive four police warnings to stop, she also roped in the actor to an email chain regarding an old invoice of Laura’s.

“There was no need to send that email to Hugh Grant,” said Laura. “It was embarrassing and I received an email from his accountant saying Hugh Grant was upset.”

Trial continues………………………