A convicted killer locked a teenager in a car and begged her to marry him after becoming 'fixated and obsessed' with her, a court heard.
Tosif Patel's victim - who was 19 at the time - had done nothing to suggest she wanted to form a romantic relationship with him. But the 33-year-old former marketing boss bombarded her with thousands of messages, made vile accusations about her and even turned up at the GP surgery where she worked as a receptionist.
On one occasion, Patel, from Bolton, sent her 1,000 messages in just eight hours. When the victim was actually speaking with police about his behaviour, she received 185 messages from him in 20 minutes.
Patel was eventually arrested after he forced the woman on a 100-mile road trip lasting over five hours, during which he locked her in his vehicle and begged her to marry him. The court heard how in 2009, he was jailed for causing death by dangerous driving after he killed a 16-year-old girl he was on a first date with.
'She was clear she did not want a relationship'
Bolton Crown Court was told how the pair first met through the victim's ex-boyfriend. Patel's offences happened between July 2021 and June 2022.
Patrick Williamson, prosecuting, said: "She and the defendant had never been in a relationship and nothing she said or did ever gave him the impression otherwise. But he sent a considerable number of messages to her.
"At first they seemed harmless but he then started to tell her he loved her, saw they had a future together and that he wanted to get to know her. She was clear with him from the start that she did not want to be in a relationship with him but he sought to contact her by creating online social media accounts which called her a w**** and s***."
Mr Williamson added: "She blocked him repeatedly but this did not deter the defendant who showered her with unwanted gifts and turning up at her home with food, alcohol and posting money through her front door. He would also pay money into her account simply as a way of persuading her to talk to him and he also befriended her 15 year old bother.
"This soured her relationship with her brother to the extent she even blocked him on social media. Being young the victim accepted the money not fully realising the signal this might send.
"But he then made the distasteful comment to her: ''The only way you can repay all this is to sleep with me'. He would make threats to approach her employer and make accusations about her.
"She was very scared he would carry them out. He would also follow her to friends' addresses and then bang on the doors.
"When the victim broke her phone, the defendant replaced it with the latest model with the victim herself saying: 'Me being a young girl and silly, I took the phone.' The sinister aspect to this was the defendant was able to access the billing and usage of the phone to constantly monitor her interactions.
"He also sent her messages on a daily basis, about 1,000 in one eight hour period alone. When she was actually speaking to police about him, she received 185 message in one 20 minute period.
"He engaged in rambling monologues fluctuating in emotions, some seeking forgiveness others being highly abusive. He sent her the draft of a letter he proposed to send to her employer reporting she used control substances."
Patel locked her in his car on 100-mile trip
The court heard how in April last year, the woman was leaving a lunchtime work event in Manchester when Patel pulled up alongside her in her car. Mr Williamson added: ''She didn't want to create a scene in front of her work colleagues so she go in and expected him to drive her home.
"But she then started to see road signs for Leeds and when she asked to be taken home, he proceeded to drive around for the next five hours. He told her she was 'his girl' that he wanted to marry her and have children with her.
"They drove to Bradford where they had a meal together, although she only agreed to appease him. On the way back on the motorway, a heated argument started between them, he told her to take her shoes off and give him her phone.
"He then stopped and told her to get out of the car. She started to walk down the carriageway before he pulled up again and told her to get back in.
"He drove her to Chorley where he parked up and locked the car doors. She was crying and asked to be taken home but he started crying his eyes out saying: 'Please be with me, I'm really sorry, I would never hurt you'.
"She was in the defendants car for considerable period of time against her will before he eventually dropped her of at home without her shoes or phone."
The victim failed to attend work the following day and confessed her ordeal when disciplined by her boss. However, Patel would still loiter outside the surgery on various occasions forcing her to take a taxi instead of the bus to the office.
In one incident she ran to her back office sobbing 'he's here, he's here' whilst Patel spoke to colleagues saying he wanted to make a 'complaint'. Police were called after the surgery manager drove the woman home to avoid her having any contact with her tormentor.
When interviewed, Patel falsely claimed he had been in intimate relationship with his victim and had given money and food to her. In a tearful statement, the victim told police: "I lost my appetite and was unable to sleep due to what was going on.
"I was scared to go work and this behaviour affected my relationships and friendships with others. Going home is now a misery. I can't eat, sleep or anything, I don't even want to go out and socialise anymore. He has made me feel like was a bad person."
Court hears of past conviction and man 'in decline'
In 2009, Patel, then 18, was jailed for 30 months for causing death by dangerous driving after 16-year old Zainab Lala was flung from his BMW and killed when he crashed the vehicle whilst 'showing off' to her on the A675 between Belmont and Abbey Village in Lancashire. At the time it emerged the pair had defied attempts to keep them apart due to their religion to go on a date in Blackpool.
In mitigation for Patel, Graham Rishton said: "Sadly he is a man who has been in decline for a number of years. He had a number of senior roles with him marketing as the head of marketing and his outlook did at one time look positive.
"But he had a battle against cancer and after being made unemployed, he developed mental health issues. Against the background he became fixated on this young lady to the point of obsession."
At Bolton Crown Court, Patel, of Blackburn Road, Bolton, admitted stalking causing serious harm and distress and false imprisonment. He was jailed for three years.
Sentencing, Judge Nicholas Clarke KC told him: "You pestered her over a considerable period of time with messages which became ever more intrusive. You also bombarded her with gifts in a clearly misplaced way to try and secure her affection.
"She wanted nothing of it and whilst she did accept some of your generosity, you made unwarranted demands for sexual favours interspersed with quite horrific threats. You followed her in a variety of ways, took over her contacts, and sent her messages which were extremely abusive.
"She was only 19 at the time of this offending yet you became fixated and obsessed with her. She had to change her lifestyle and movements as a result of your unwanted attention.
"She was made to feel like a bad person even though she had never treated you offensively at all." Patel was also banned from contacting the victim under the terms of an indefinite restraining order.
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