A FORMER Coronation Street star was bombarded with death threats by his brother after they fell out over money.
Stephen Banyard and wife Barbara, 84, were subjected to a terrifying hate campaign by TV paranormal researcher Gerald Banyard.
Gerald Banyard targeted his brother and sister-in-law in the hate campaign[/caption]
Stephen played Arnie Scanlan on Corrie[/caption]
Banyard, 71, branded Stephen, who is severely disabled following a stroke, as an ”evil narcissistic psychopathic b*****d”.
He wrongly claimed his older brother owed him £200,000, telling Stephen, who is aged in his 70s: “Pay the money back that you know you stole.
“The family will suffer if you don’t. This is your last warning.”
Banyard, who has appeared on TV chat shows and documentaries to explain his fascination with UFOs, has now been jailed for 12 months.
He was also slapped with a restraining order after pleading guilty to stalking his brother and sister-in-law.
Stephen appeared in four different roles on Coronation Street between 1980 and 2003 – including as Arnie Scanlan, a former cellmate of Les Battersby.
He also had bit part roles in various TV dramas including Heartbeat, Holby City and The Royal under his stage name Tony Monroe.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard the hate war began in 2019 when Banyard was arrested for bizarrely trying to frame an innocent man over the Westminster terror attack that killed four people.
Police had seized £50,000 in cash during his arrest but he lied and claimed it belonged to sister-in-law Barbara.
She refused to go along with the deceit – meaning the money was confiscated and Banyard targeted her and Stephen.
After he was released from prison for the Westminster lie in August 2023, the paranormal expert intensified the terrifying campaign.
He sent an email to a manager at the retirement housing complex where the couple live to falsely claim they had “stolen” £200,000 from him.
Banyard branded both ”narcisstic, psychopathic evil people” and said inmates he had spent time with behind bars ”knew where they lived”.
He added: ”The Karmic wheels have been put in motion.”
Banyard also referred to the play ”Tony Monroe is Dead” – a comedy production about a wedding celebration – in a sinister attempt to mock his brother’s stage name.
The care home manager passed the message on to Stephen and Barbara, who then alerted the police.
Banyard appearing on Clive Anderson’s Talk Back show in the 1990s to discuss UFOs[/caption]
Undeterred, Banyard claimed he launched legal proceedings over the money and sent more letters.
One chillingly claimed their 13-year-old grand-daughter had died, the court heard.
Craig MacGregor, prosecuting, said the ordeal left Barbara so terrified that she did not even want to venture outside.
He added: ”Mrs Banyard is 84 year old and she says she does not need the stress this episode has placed on her.
“Her husband is unwell and she is now prevented from going to the shops for fear her brother-in-law knows where they live.”
Banyard, who appeared on Clive Anderson’s Talk Back show in the 1990s, was arrested on May 25 last year.
The court heard he has a previous conviction for hounding a married woman over claims they had an affair while shooting a TV advert.
Sentencing Judge Jenny Lester-Ashworth told him: ‘I have read the victim personal statement and your continued conduct towards these elderly victims has caused them significant distress at a time in their lives when they are less able to cope.
”They feared you would inflict violence upon them. It was very serious and persistent conduct.
“The victims were particularly vulnerable due to their age and health conditions.”
Stephen was bombarded with sinister letters[/caption]
Banyard has now been jailed for 12 months[/caption]
