Stalker with violent past attended Leeds church to get close to his ex, court told
A stalker joined a church “despite not being religious” to get closer to his ex partner after she had taken out an order to keep him away.
Jake Boyle was warned to leave the woman alone by a non-molestation order, but he refused to adhere, even attending North Church on Kirkstall Lane to “keep an eye on her”.
He admitted breaching the non-molestation order, stalking and criminal damage at Leeds Crown Court.
The couple had been together for four years but he began to drink and take drugs, prosecutor Louise Pryke told the court.
He became “physically and emotionally” abusive towards his partner. He was arrested and warned to stay away after she had the order put in place by the family court in July last year.
But he continued to ignore the order and attend her home. In December last year he went to the address late at night, was shouting through the letterbox and crying in the garden.
She eventually let him in and he opened a bottle of gin, began drinking and refused to leave.
He tried to stop her from calling the police before punching the Ring doorbell on his way out, causing damage.
He started attending the church knowing she would be there and would hang around until she left.
Ms Pryke said he would make threats to the woman about her being with anyone else, that she was “living in fear” and unable to go “go about her normal life”.
Held on remand at HMP Leeds, he appeared in court over the video link.
The 31-year-old, of no fixed address, has 10 previous convictions for 20 offences, including wounding, battery, robbery and dangerous driving.
Mitigating, Daisy Wrigley said Boyle had endured an unstable and chaotic childhood. She said his father was a drug addict who died from an overdose.
She said he suffered from PTSD, expressed remorse and understood the impact on his ex partner.
The judge, Recorder Anthony Dunne told Boyle: “She had made it quite clear she did not want anything further to do with you.
“You kept turning up at her home address and the church. You have caused her to be scared for both herself and her children. She is constantly on edge.”
Recorder Dunne said due to Boyle’s remand status, the jail sentences available would mean he would be released soon, should he give him custody.
Instead, he gave him a two-year community order, with a nine-month alcohol treatment requirement, ordered him to complete the Better Choices accredited programme and 15 rehabilitation days with probation.
He was also given a six-month GPS monitoring tag to track his whereabouts, and a five-year restraining order to keep him away from his former partner.