Gary Leslie Elson: Pinjarra man hired private detective to find home of nurse who cared for dying mother

In a move labelled “disturbing”, a Pinjarra horse trainer hired a private detective to find the home address of the much younger nurse caring for his dying mother. Gary Leslie Elson, 69, met the 39-year-old nurse when his dying mother was admitted to Peel Health Campus last year. Police prosecutor First Class Constable Kat Anderson told Mandurah Magistrates Court that after Elson’s mother died in August 2024, he sent the woman flowers at work with a note reading “To a beautiful nurse, have a beautiful day”. He then personally delivered a second bunch of flowers to her work, which prompted the 39-year-old to tell him it was “too much”. On September 18, Elson sent her a friend request on Facebook and a message asking her to catch up. This was followed by another message reading: “Hi Princess, I haven’t heard back from you, I just want to know if I can help you in any way”. Const. Anderson said the victim did not respond. On September 22, he followed up with another message and said she “made him feel like a stalker”. The victim blocked him, Const. Anderson said. Elson then hired a private detective to find the woman’s home address and personal phone number. He then personally delivered flowers and chocolates to her home and messaged her phone saying he left gifts for her. After delivering the gifts, Elson drove around for a while and returned to her home to find the gifts still at the front door. At 11pm that night, he went back and checked her bins to see if she threw them out. He then called the victim and hung up, then sent a message saying he wanted to catch up, and followed up with another message asking why she wouldn’t talk to him. In fear, the victim contacted police saying she felt intimidated by his actions. Elson was arrested on October 7. Elson pleaded guilty at Mandurah Magistrates Court on December 17 to pursuing another to intimidate. He was represented by a duty lawyer, who said he accepted the accusations were serious. The duty lawyer said it was a serious misjudgment by Elson, partly due to the pair’s daily conversations at the hospital. “That’s a standard requirement of someone looking after a patient,” Magistrate Leanne Atkins countered. The duty lawyer asked for a spent conviction, explaining that Elson was on a pension but needed a clean record to continue training horses for harness racing and had plans to renew his manager’s licence so he could work in pubs. Ms Atkins denied the request, remarking how inappropriate it was for a man of Elson’s age to pursue a woman in her 30s. “Then to hire a private investigator is extremely disturbing and unnerving for a woman living alone with her children,” she added. “This woman was probably disturbed and upset when you turned up to her home with flowers but for a reason known only to yourself, you decided to pursue her. “The community does not expect a man of 69 to pursue and use a private investigator to hunt down a 39-year-old woman.” Ms Atkins fined him $3000, saying it should act as a wake-up call.