STALKER JAILED
A man who persistently stalked a woman known to him in West Sussex has been sentenced to prison.Mark Coop, aged 38, broke into the victim’s home late at night on one occasion and made another attempt to access the property while wearing a balaclava.
He also tried to intimidate her by threatening self-harm.
The woman reported receiving numerous messages and unwanted phone calls from Coop, who appeared to know her whereabouts.
Her sense of safety was severely affected, leaving her fearful of living in her own house and worried about being followed.
Despite police and court orders against him, Coop repeatedly failed to comply.
He was arrested, charged with stalking that caused fear of serious harm, distress, or alarm, and was placed in custody.
At Lewes Crown Court on March 12, he pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced.
Coop, who has no fixed address, received a prison sentence of four years and six months.
Additionally, the court issued a ten-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim or others connected to her.
This order also prohibits him from entering an exclusion zone covering parts of West Worthing such as Durrington, West Tarring, Salvington, Goring, and Offington.
During proceedings, the court was informed that the troubling conduct occurred between August and October of the previous year.
The victim’s impact statement described Coop’s visits to her home while intoxicated as “beyond terrifying.” She recounted the ongoing emotional toll on herself and her young children, noting Coop’s unpredictable, threatening, and manipulative actions that left her feeling unsafe in her own residence.
