STALKING EX SOLDIER CLIMBED INTO VICTIM'S HOME AT NIGHT AND FOLLOWED HER IN CAR
A woman was intruded upon when a man climbed through her window into her residence, leading to her experiencing significant distress.Daniel Crawford, aged 33, was responsible for entering her home during the night.
Additionally, court testimonies revealed that Crawford had previously sat in a vehicle outside her house and even followed her in her car.
Prosecutor Johnny Walker stated that Crawford had stopped his vehicle near the victim and started making threats through her car windows.
Crawford admitted to charges of stalking that caused fear of violence and to making threats of criminal damage during an earlier court hearing.
The court was informed that Crawford, a former soldier from Middlesbrough, had joined the military at a young age but was discharged following a prison sentence.
His prior convictions included an incident in April 2022, where he entered another woman's home, assaulted her by grabbing her throat, and threatened to kill her.
He was convicted of battery in that case.
In separate incidents, Crawford had also poured shampoo over an ex-partner and, in July 2022, committed a second battery by punching, strangling, and kicking a lorry driver after a collision.
During mitigation, defence representative Andrew Turton explained that Crawford, a father of three, had spent the previous seven months on remand at Holme House prison.
Mr Turton noted that Crawford's partner remained supportive throughout this period.
The defense argued that Crawford was suffering from poor mental health at the time of his most recent crimes and expressed remorse for his actions.
Judge Paul Reid, addressing Crawford of Hutton Road, South Bank, described his conduct as “unacceptable” and highlighted that his actions had caused substantial psychological harm to the victim.
Crawford was sentenced to 100 weeks in prison.
The court also issued a restraining order to prevent any contact between Crawford and the victim again.
