Sleaford man admits stalking ex-girlfriend in Boston

Talip Oztoprak, 47, of Southgate, Sleaford, pestered the woman with numerous phone calls from different numbers and attended at both her work and flat in Boston.

Lincoln Crown Court heard the couple began a relationship in September 2021 and it initially went well.

Tom Heath, prosecuting, said the relationship began to deteriorate in July 2022 when the woman noticed Oztoprak was drinking and using drugs.

The woman ended the relationship in September 2022 and sent Oztoprak a text message which made that clear.

Mr Heath said Oztoprak did not take the ending of the relationship well and on one occasion bombarded the woman with ten phone calls in just sixminutes.

On another occasion the woman spotted Oztoprak after she left the Folly Bar in Boston.

Mr Heath told the court Oztoprak also delivered nine unwanted handwritten letters to the woman's home and also left flowers outside.

The court heard Oztoprak was bailed on condition he did not contact the woman after she contacted the police, but continued to ring the bell of her home and sent her 27 messages on WhatsApp.

On other occasions the woman noticed Oztoprak walking past her place of work in High Street, Boston, and near the Lidl store where she was shopping.

She also noticed him apparently following her towards Boston police station.

In an impact statement the victim described how she didn't feel safe in her own home and was always looking over her shoulder.

Oztoprak pleaded guilty to stalking between September 2022 and March 2023, and possessing one wrap of cannabis which was found when police searched his home.

Siward James-Moore, mitigating for Oztoprak, said he took the ending of a relationship by a woman he was in love with very badly.

"Drink may have been a factor in the sending of those messages sent to the complainant," Mr James-Moore told the court.

"Although his conduct was persistent it was not particularly longstanding."

Mr James-Moore added that Mr Oztoprak had complied with a stalking prevention order which stopped him from contacting his former girlfriend, and had now moved from Boston to Sleaford where he had a new job as a chef.

Passing sentence Recorder Simon King told Oztoprak: "I have thought long and hard about your case because I have no doubt the custody threshold has been passed."

But the Recorder said he had just decided to suspend that sentence with some stringent conditions which meant prison would be hanging over him.

"This means it is not a slap on the wrist," Recorder King added.

Oztoprak was sentenced to ten months imprisonment suspended for two years and must complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity days.

A restraining order was also made which prevents Oztoprak from contacting his victim by any means, and he was fined £100 for possessing cannabis.