Stalking is an insidious crime which can ruin people's lives. Perpetrators do not need to be in the same room as their victim for their behaviour to have potentially disastrous effects, with the internet providing another realm for abusive behaviour.
And when stalking manifests itself in the physical world, it can become even more dangerous. Recently released statistics reveal that two of Greater Manchester's boroughs have some of the highest rates of stalking in the country.
Nearly 900 stalking offences were logged by police in Oldham, according to Home Office data, with a further 837 recorded in Tameside. Of the 7,984 stalking offences recorded by Greater Manchester Police last year, only six per sent resulted in a suspect being charged. Here the M.E.N. recalls some of the stalking cases which made it before the courts.
Edward Best
Best never actually met his victim, but she was left just as traumatised as other stalking victims. He and the woman had struck up a relationship online and enjoyed playing video games together.
Best lived almost 4,000 miles away in Chicago. But after he became increasingly obsessive and bombarded her with disgusting messages, including telling her terminally ill father that he hoped his death would be 'terrible', she blocked him on all platforms in March.
Days later Best, fuelled by drink and cannabis, bought a one way ticket to Manchester and paid for an Airbnb. He purchased a hire car and scoped out the woman's house in Tameside for days.
But when he struck on April 3, she was not home. The woman's unsuspecting cousin had gone around to feed the cat while she and her family took a holiday to mark the anniversary of her father's death.
Best scaled a wall and 'leapt' at her cousin when she opened the door to check for an intruder. He held her hostage for about three hours, until she was able to text a friend with the message '999'.
Best tried to flee the country but was caught. Earlier this month he was jailed for seven years, after pleading guilty to stalking, attempted false imprisonment, false imprisonment and having an offensive weapon.
Grainger had everything going for him. A successful film director, he worked on projects with A listers including Sir Ben Kingsley and Charlize Theron, and had deals with the BBC and Netflix.
But he ended up in jail after terrorising a woman during a stalking campaign in Manchester. Grainger, 22, met his victim while they were both film students at Manchester Metropolitan University.
He began sending chilling messages to her on social media after their friendship broke down, as well as uploading pictures of her onto porn websites. Grainger, originally from Northern Ireland, asked the woman whether she'd thought about killing herself, and said he 'can't wait to plunge a knife' into her stomach.
He called her a 'whore', a 'slut' and a 'f*** doll', made nasty comments about her body, and turned up outside her house. She has been left traumatised and regularly has a panic attack if she hears a phone ring or vibrate.
"You bombarded her with a torrent of the most cruel, mean, abusive, abhorrent, vile, vindictive, and hate filled invective," Judge Timothy Smith told Grainger. "They are some of the nastiest and most repellent messages I have seen."
In February, Grainger was jailed for two-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to stalking.
Dominic Marshall
Marshall had been in a relationship with his ex since she was 19. Aged 26, she broke up with him following allegations that he'd been 'controlling'.
But Marshall did not take the split well. He would walk up and down her street, send flowers to her home and turn up at the shop where she worked.
On one occasion, Marshall, 27, arrived at her work and said he needed to speak with her. She told him to go away but a few days later she saw him again near the shop in Salford precinct.
Marshall then turned his attention to her new boyfriend. He started to receive disturbing messages of a threatening nature on social media. "You get the biggest shock of your life, come fight me now," Marshall said.
In other messages he said: "Trust me I know where you are', 'You fool lad me Dad said cut your head clean off, watch', and 'You are the lowest of the lowest'. Marshall also threatened to 'slit his throat' and said "I'll get my revenge'.
The man is stressed 'all the time' now and has started leaving work early to try and avoid Marshall, which affects his wages. Meanwhile, Marshall's ex says she constantly looks over her shoulder, and is thinking about moving away.
"This behaviour blights people's lives, they cannot live a normal life," the judge told Marshall, of Liverpool Road, Eccles. He pleaded guilty to two offences of stalking and in June, he was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years.
Christopher Fisher
Fisher 'chose to torment' his ex-girlfriend after he'd been released from prison. Fisher had previously been sentenced to 16 months for stalking the 26-year-old woman.
When he was released he continued stalking and harassing her, sending a barrage of threatening and abusive messages. Police said he used several Instagram accounts and different names to send her direct messages.
A friend saw the posts and concerned for her safety, alerted her to them. The messages continued until April last year, when Fisher was arrested and taken into custody.
One message read: "I hope it bears too much for you and you decide to end things." In another he said: "I wish you were dead."
Fisher, of no fixed address, but from the Wirral, pleaded guilty to stalking causing serious harm and breaching a 10-year restraining order imposed on him when he was jailed previously.
At Chester Crown Court in June, he was sentenced to six years in prison. A judge also imposed an indefinite restraining order.
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