Nine women were left terrified and traumatised after being targeted with disturbing sexual slogans daubed on their cars and homes by a convicted pervert.
Jeffrey Burke used a permanent marker pen to write a series of obscene messages indicating he had been watching the victims and outlining in crude terms what he wanted to do to them. A court heard the victims were targeted in two areas of Gateshead over a two year period between January 2019 and December 2020.
Annelise Haugstad, prosectuing, told Newcastle Crown Court: "He has been daubing houses or vehicles with sexual words indicating what he would like to do to the householders. All of them were left in fear as a result. There is an element of watching as the physical descriptions daubed matched the housholders."
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The first victim noticed the word "s**g" written on her Vauxhall Corsa in January 2019. Then weeks later she found another message saying "lovely t*** blondie, can I s*** you". This was followed by another message written on her car saying "I still want to **** you".
In a victim impact statement, she said: "I've been very spooked by this. I didn't know who was responsible so I suspected everyone. I feel I'm being stalked and I'm worried this could escalate."
The second victim noticed her Fiat 500, parked next to her husband's car, which was not touched, had the word "s**g" written on it in permanent black marker pen, in January 2020. The following month, Burke targeted her again, writing "love your big t***" on her car bonnett. There were then a further two messages, including one saying "I want to **** you so hard b****".
She said she initially thought children were responsible but added: "I started feeling paranoid and had to hide the words from my eight-year-old and had to purchase CCTV."
A third woman was targeted between February and March 2000, initially with a message saying "can I s**g you please" on the driver's door of her car. He then wrote "lovely body for your age, can I **** you".
She then found a pair of pink knickers hanging on her door mirror and he had written "want to see you wearing these blondie".
The victim said: "It left me feeling angry. I feel the offender has watched me. It left me feeling paranoid that friendly people I speak to on the estate could be the person doing it."
In March 2020, the fourth victim heard repeated tapping on her window and noticed it was following her as she moved from room to room. This became a daily occurrence as Burke targeted her within minutes of her lights being switched on when she got up.
He also heavy-breathed into her intercom microphone, something that continued for months. Burke also spoke to her on her intercom, asking if she had time to answer some questions. She agreed, not realising it was the person responsible for the other behaviour. He then asked: "Do you still get up at the same time every morning, I like to watch you get up and into the shower and get ready for work."
The terrified woman said: "The behaviour of this man was absolutely terrifying and I no longer feel safe in my own home. I feel he is watching me, waiting for an opportunity."
Another woman returned from holiday to find Burke had written a message on her Vauxhall Astra stating a sexual act he wanted to do to her. She was left shocked and scared and noticed on Facebook that other women in the area had been targeted in a similar way.
A sixth woman was targeted between September and October 2020, when she found a message written on her car door saying "can I **** your daughter". She said her daughter wanted to move house as they were worried he had been watching their home.
A seventh victim was alerted by a Royal Mail driver about a vile message written on her front door. She initially thought it was children messing about until she saw on Facebook others had been targeted, which left her feeling vulnerable.
The eighth victim also received a sexual message expressing what he wanted to do and she got some CCTV of Burke, wearing a backpack and hat. Another resident then also caught him on CCTV in the early hours, taking a pen out
The ninth victim then found a message on her front door calling her "sexy" and saying what he wanted to do to her, which left her scared.
After being arrested and bailed, Burke breached a sexual risk order by stealing a pair of knickers off a washing line in Felling before running away with them.
The court heard he has 65 previous convictions, including for indecent assaults, exposure, a burglary during which he was armed with a screwdriver and stopped a woman leaving her bathroom and theft of underwear from a washing line in 2016.
Burke, 52, of Fern Dene Road, Gateshead, was originally charged with stalking but pleaded guilty to offences of harassment, criminal damage, breaching a sexual risk order, theft and having an article with intent to commit criminal damage - the marker pen. He was jailed for two years and given an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting the victims, approaching their homes and cars and forbidding him from going to St James Village, in Gateshead and two specific streets in the town.
Tony Davis, defending, said Burke has PTSD "from his time in the services" and a "paraphillic disorder". He added: "The offences were unpleasant and would undoubtedly have caused distress but there was never really any prospect of him gong on to committ the sort of offences he may have predicted he would like to do in the messages written on cars and the like."
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