He bombarded her with messages and calls and turned up at her home
An obsessed stalker made his ex-girlfriend’s life a complete misery for about three months by bombarding her with abusive and threatening calls and messages “every hour of every day” in a nasty campaign of fear. Scheming and manipulative Jamie Roach also turned up at her home and threatened to confront her at her workplace unless she relented and let him back into her life, Hull Crown Court heard.
Roach, 39, of Partington Drive, off Marfleet Lane, east Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted stalking the woman between September 22 and December 26 last year. He also admitted sending an explicit picture of himself to her on October 1.
Beatrice Allsop, prosecuting, said that Roach repeatedly pestered his ex-girlfriend with telephone calls and voicemail messages – and they “turned nasty”. He told her: “If you’re not going to talk to me, I will just come to your work” and, in another one: “Unblock me on WhatsApp or I’m coming to your work.”
He sent her photographs, including a “vulgar” one and he asked if she would see him. He told her: “You know you miss me” but she ignored the messages.
“The defendant was also sending constant emails,” said Miss Allsop. “She didn’t reply to any. The defendant was in contact every hour of every day.”
On one occasion, he knocked on her window and she told him to leave. She received further telephone calls. “There was a pattern to the defendant’s behaviour,” said Miss Allsop.
“He knew when she was on her own. He knew when she was at work. She was scared to leave the house in case he was watching her.”
Jazmine Lee, mitigating, said that Roach pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. “He has accepted his behaviour,” said Miss Lee. “He struggled to accept the ending of the relationship.
“The relationship ended in the summer. The stalking period started in September. She decided that they should no longer remain friends either.
“The defendant did feel that he was getting mixed messages and he was wrong about the fact that he thought the relationship would resume. He accepts that his actions were childish. They were unnecessary and they were excessive.
“He just wants her to move on with her life and he needs to be able to move on with his own. He accepts that this offending is serious. It has been a significant wake-up call for him.
“He does not want to find himself in this position again. Clearly, this has had an impact on her.”
Judge John Thackray KC told Roach: “You describe your behaviour as simply excessive. It was far more than excessive. It was criminal. It was abusive and it was intimidating.
“For a three-month period, you made your victim’s life a misery, with numerous unwanted calls, turning up at her home and humiliating her in front of her work colleagues. You were given the opportunity by the police to stop your behaviour but, even while on bail, you continued to offend.
“Your offending clearly caused very significant distress, if not serious psychological harm. She was entitled to end the relationship without any recriminations.”
Roach was jailed for one year and he was given a 10-year restraining order. “Ultimately, only appropriate punishment can be achieved by way of an immediate custodial sentence,” said Judge Thackray.