Woman who was bombarded with abusive messages is shocked to discover the culprit is her BEST friend

A young woman who nearly committed suicide after being bombarded with abusive messages from an anonymous troll was shocked when an investigation revealed her best friend was to blame.

Opal Williams-Hulse called the police after being contacted by a series of fake accounts titled OpalNeedsToDie and OpalTheW***e.

The 23-year-old received vile messages over a period of three months such as ‘Opal is scum’.

But she was stunned when experts traced the messages back to 23-year-old Naomi Kendrick, with whom she had been regularly confiding about a personal problem.

Kendrick, from Winsford, Cheshire, who had been giving her friend a shoulder to cry on while secretly sending her hate messages, has been granted a restraining order and community service.

Kendrick, from Winsford, Cheshire, had been giving her friend a shoulder to cry on while secretly sending her hate-filled missives online.

The reason for Kendrick’s hate campaign against her now-former friend is unknown.

In a statement to police, Ms Williams-Hulse said: “I thought Naomi was someone I could trust, but I got a barrage of messages from her from different accounts saying horrible things.”

‘At the time of receiving these messages, I couldn’t speak and I couldn’t move because I was frozen with fear. I was wondering what I had done that was so bad that someone wanted me dead. I gave my phone to my landlord so it wouldn’t affect me when I was at work.

‘I was crying. I felt vulnerable and scared all the time. I didn’t know how each day would go by. This went on for three whole months.

“I constantly felt like I was being attacked and that someone knew where I was. It was torture. I didn’t feel safe anywhere I went. I lost so many friends during this time because I couldn’t trust anyone.’

Ms Williams-Hulse said the names on the fake Snapchat accounts included her sister, niece, mother, father and a three-month-old baby.

‘My mother was upset that someone was sending me malicious communications,’ she said, ‘It was horrible to see what was happening with my family. When I finally found out who was behind it, the first name the police gave me was Naomi’s boyfriend. I knew then who she was. He was heartbroken and shocked. I felt so betrayed.

‘She was someone I thought was my best friend. I had to go back on medication as my anxiety was worse than ever.

“I was throwing up from stress and anxiety. When he was driving, he would always look who was behind me. I felt so unsafe at home, at work and especially when I was away.

Kendrick also completed 300 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activity.

‘I was having suicidal thoughts. Some days I didn’t want to get out of bed. I was in a deep depression. To this day, I still don’t talk to my friends as much as I keep finding that I can’t trust them.

‘My family was affected. My mother used to wake up in the middle of the night to make sure she hadn’t done me any harm.

‘This had a detrimental impact on my life. I feel like it was a traumatic experience. There is no excuse for what Naomi has put me and my family through. She should be able to live my life free from fear, which she has deprived me of for some time.

In Crewe Magistrate Court, Kendrick was ordered to pay Miss Williams-Hulse compensation of £250 after she admitted to using a public communications network to cause another person annoyance, annoyance or unnecessary anxiety .

Defendant Claire Oliver said: “Miss Opal Williams-Hulse was added to numerous Snapchat accounts between January and March of last year. Everyone gets extremely offensive or malicious names directed at her or the names of her sister, niece and her father.

Multiple accounts have also contacted Ms. Williams-Hulse. The crown would say that the defendant has targeted the whistleblower in this matter.

They were close friends and she had intimate knowledge of the victim’s past.

‘There were multiple friend requests with names associated with people known to the victim. Miss Williams-Hulse suffered considerable distress.

He has also been issued a two-year restraining order on the condition that he not come within 100 meters of or go near Ms. Williams-Hulse’s address.

Kendrick had a previous booking in 2018 for malicious communication. Her lawyer, Tony Birchall, said: “The defendant herself is very sorry for what she has done.

‘There is a reference in the parole report to his age, his immaturity and his limited knowledge.

‘She’s been sitting at home and created these friend requests. She wasn’t thinking about what she was doing and the stress she was putting her friend through. She understands the circumstances now.

‘In a rather perverse way, the fact that the complainant finally realized that this was one of her best friends who had done this, may have given her some comfort. He wasn’t some mysterious figure she didn’t know.

‘You can put some closure on this. She knows who she is and she knows the background. In a wicked way she can provide some comfort. Although it is clear that she was distraught by what was happening.

Kendrick also completed 300 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activity with the probation service and paid £215 in costs and a victim surcharge.

You have also been issued a two-year restraining order on the condition that you not come within 100 meters of Ms. Williams-Hulse’s address, or approach her or communicate with her, including through the social networks.

JP Helen Jarman told Kendrick: “Clearly the victim has suffered a great deal of heartache, anxiety and anguish over this and continues to suffer.”