SEASCALE STALKER WHO SENT GIFTS HANDED ONE-YEAR RESTRAINING ORDER
A STALKER who sent unwanted gifts and over 100 messages to a woman he had been seeing has been handed a restraining order.Adam Matthews, 34, was described by his victim as ‘toxic’ and ‘narcissistic’ and the unwanted contact from him, which included a £100 bank transfer, left the woman feeling ‘creeped out’.
The defendant was sentenced at Workington Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to stalking without fear.
Prosecutor Pamela Fee said Matthews and the victim had been seeing each other intimately for seven months but weren’t a couple.
In a statement read to the court, the victim said she decided Matthews was a ‘toxic person’ and due to his ‘narcissistic behaviour’, she told him she wanted no further contact with him.
From March to April she received multiple messages from Matthews, which included abusive messages.
She said the contact was unwanted and Matthews attempted to make her engage with him.
She estimated there well over 100 messages sent within a month.
She described having an emotional breakdown at work and having to take a week off.
The victim said she had received flowers while at work and didn’t know who they were from.
Matthews later sent her a message telling her the flowers were from him.
Matthews told the victim that if she went to visit him, he would stop contacting her.
He gave her a necklace with a keyring and multiple letters, which the victim said she didn’t read in full.
On March 15, Matthews sent the victim a £100 bank transfer.
The victim said she felt ‘disgusted’, ‘anxious’ and ‘creeped out’.
She sent the money back.
On March 27, the defendant sent the victim a bracelet with her children’s initials on.
He sent messages saying it was him.
The victim said she had ‘so much anxiety’ and had suspicions that Matthews had been tracking her vehicle, although there was no evidence of this.
Matthews was arrested and accepted that he had been sending letters and gifts.
He said he didn’t know the items were unwanted.
He said he had realised how much he liked her.
He said the victim ended it by message and told police he would get drunk and contact her.
He accepted that she had asked him to stop contacting her.
Matthews said he had ordered the bracelet for Mother’s Day before they split up.
He said it was wrong to send the messages but he was ‘broken hearted’ and thought he could win her back.
Summing up the case, Ms Fee said the stalking had taken place over the duration of a month and there had been some manipulative behaviour to get the victim to have contact with him.
Katie Scattergood, defending, said Matthews accepted that alcohol was a causative factor behind the offending but disputed being dependent on alcohol.
“He has expressed remorse to me,” Miss Scattergood said.
“There hasn’t been any more contact since his arrest.
The warning from the PC was a reminder that the relationship had ended.” Magistrates imposed a 12-month community order with a six-month mental health treatment programme and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
Matthews, of Gosforth Road, Seascale, was fined £538 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
A one-year restraining order was imposed which bans Matthews from having any contact with the victim.
