Curiouser and Curiouser

Poor Simon Clayton! He must be feeling a bit put upon at the moment. It's bad enough to have your private life raked over in one publication - but here he is in two in the same week!
Uncle Carbuncle, in the latest edition of Hay-on-Wire, tells the story of Simon and his daughter Esti, and his wish to have the saga made into a film (so maybe he'd be quite happy to have his private life raked over!). In brief, when Esti was four Simon, who was estranged from his ex-wife and Esti's mother, Aneta, took off with the child in his camper van and headed for Europe. There was an international search for the pair, and they were only found, in Portugal, because Esti had her pet ferret with her. Simon spent some time in prison for that, but later he was allowed access to Esti - until this year, when Aneta withdrew permission. Esti is now eleven.
On his blog, Esti and Dad ( www.estianddad.blogspot.com ) he talks about his fight to get access to his daughter, together with his girlfriend Adele.
This is where it becomes really strange, and where the second newspaper comes in.
Under the title "Restraining Order Issued", the Brecon and Radnor reports Simon's recent court appearance for harrassing Adele Nozedar of Nepal Bazaar between March and May, by sending phone calls and text messages, flowers and emails.
On his blog, dated January, Simon published a press release by Adele in his support. In it, she clearly believes everything Simon has told her about the case and how unfairly he feels he has been treated. If the court case is anything to go by, that had changed by March. Simon is now prohibited from contacting Adele, or loitering outside her shop, for two years. Strangely, this was the ruling despite no evidence being offered by the prosecution.
I happen to remember Simon first coming to Hay. He was very charming socially, but extremely difficult to work for. I know this because one of my friends did work for him for a while. She took the job when his previous assistant left suddenly. She'd lasted half a day, asked if she could go to the toilet (across the road from the shop he was renting from Golesworthy's) and was never seen again.