ST IVES MAN JAILED FOR HARROWING TWO-YEAR STALKING CAMPAIGN

A man aged 43 from St Ives has been convicted and sentenced to prison for a stalking campaign that inflicted significant fear and distress on his victim. Graeme Clark, residing at Willow Green in Needingworth, first made contact with a woman through work in Preston, Lancashire, in August 2021. The pair initially built a friendly relationship, with daily text messaging, and she even visited him in Cambridgeshire. Over time, Clark’s fixation on her intensified, leading her to cut off contact after he admitted to being "obsessed" and blocked him on WhatsApp. Nonetheless, he continued to pursue her, transferring £10,000 into her bank account, which she refused to accept. Weeks later, Clark contacted her via Facebook, claiming he was at a hotel in Preston, which made her aware that he knew her location despite her not sharing her address. His harassment escalated further as he flooded her social media with messages, created fake accounts, and contacted her family and friends to check on her welfare. Additionally, he sent her a Google image of her home and sent a friend request with a profile picture of her gym, raising her fears that he might appear there. His actions persisted as he messaged her using a new username, "you know me," and demanded repayment of money from two years earlier, prompting her to report him to the police. Clark admitted in interviews to messaging her relatives and expressed remorse. On the 23rd of July, at Huntingdon Law Courts, he pleaded guilty to stalking that caused serious alarm and distress. He was sentenced to two years and four months’ imprisonment along with a restraining order. Detective Constable Lee Hurley said that the victim was truly frightened, feeling paranoid and panicked whenever she saw a vehicle resembling Clark’s. The police underlined the severity of stalking as a criminal offense and acknowledged the bravery shown by the victim in coming forward, expressing hope that the punishment would offer her some relief.