Northamptonshire father handed restraining order for stalking his own daughter

A Northamptonshire father who stalked his own daughter and eventually confronted her has been given a five-year restraining order.
A Northamptonshire man has been handed a restraining order after stalking his own daughter.A Northamptonshire man has been handed a restraining order after stalking his own daughter.
A Northamptonshire man has been handed a restraining order after stalking his own daughter.

The man began following his daughter – who is now 20 – in September 2017 when she moved to Leicester to study at university.

Her family had tried to stop her from attending university – and when she was 15 had tried to force her into marrying an Albanian man. She had to apply for university places in secret, before her family eventually agreed to let her attend.

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But there were conditions – she was dropped off on Monday and collected on Friday and her parents arranged for a family friend to live with her and report back on what she was doing.

In November 2017, she began receiving threatening messages from her family after they were told she had been seen with a man. Her father then went to the halls of residence where she was living in an unsuccessful attempt to confront her.

After the incident, she received no further contact from her family, until on one day in April this year, she was told by her boyfriend that her father had returned to Leicester.

On May 7, she was walking towards university when she was confronted by her father, who grabbed her, pinning her against some railings. Alerted by what was happening, some members of the public intervened and her father was subsequently arrested.

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He pleaded guilty to one count of stalking involving serious alarm or distress at Leicester Crown Court and was sentenced to nine weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

He was also given a five-year restraining order.

Detective Constable Steve Hobby, from Leicestershire Police’s Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit (DAIU), was the investigating officer.

He said: “I hope that the fact her father has admitted his crime today can be of some comfort to her. She can now go about her life – living it in freedom – without the fear of being confronted by her father. She knows that if she is contacted by him, she can make a further report to police and it will be dealt with accordingly.

“It is important that the cycle of abuse is broken so that support agencies can engage with victims and allow them to have breathing space. That’s what’s happened in this case and can be as beneficial as the sentence given.

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“We take all reports of stalking extremely seriously and I hope this case reinforces that message. Anyone can fall victim to stalking and I would encourage anybody who thinks they are a victim – or knows someone who is – to report the matter to police.”

Further information, advice, and guidance around the support offered to victims of domestic abuse can be found by visiting the dedicated section of the Leicestershire Police website - https://www.leics.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/