A JEALOUS and controlling stalker who pretended to be someone else to subject his partner to a relentless pattern of harassment and abuse – which she described as ‘like being attacked every day for six months’ – has been jailed.
Jantibhai Patel – also known as Vijay – of The Green in Dunchurch, was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court to four years in prison after pleading guilty to stalking involving alarm and distress.
The court heard how 58-year-old Patel entered a relationship with the victim in 2019. Jealous of her seeing friends and family, he set up fake telephone numbers to bombard her with messages.
He cloned her phone, enabling him to access her arrangements and contacts, intercept messages and reply on her behalf, declining invitations without her knowledge.
This became a relentless pattern of harassment and abuse including malicious communications, fraud, and stalking.
The victim’s family and friends started to receive malicious text messages from Patel using different telephone numbers. He hacked her email to send malicious and damaging messages in her name to friends, family and clients.
Patel fraudulently purchased items and set up policies in the victim’s name, causing her difficulties when she was supporting her pregnant daughters and caring for her seriously ill parents.
Patel also set up a fake social media account in the victim’s name and posted embarrassing messages.
When she was on holiday with friends, Patel sent fake screenshots to the victim that suggested she had been obscene and derogatory about his family, causing her to apologise for things she hadn’t done to save her relationship with him.
Patel remained in a relationship with the victim and offered to help find the person responsible. He sent abusive messages to his own phone so he could portray himself as a victim, and would blame her and make her feel guilty for bringing it on herself.
In October 2019, believing Patel was tracking her, the victim took her car to a garage where they found a tracking device.
The victim told police she believed Patel had been in her house without her knowledge and taken paperwork and phones, confirmed by neighbours who saw him going to the house on his own on several occasions.
Digital forensic work linked him to the harassment. On Patel’s phone, police found photos of the victim’s diary and bank cards.
The victim said: “This was a totally destabilising experience for me – to suddenly become the target of a malicious hate campaign from an unknown person, not knowing what was going to be thrown at me from one day to the next, and not knowing why someone would want to do it.
“It had repercussions on all aspects of my life; social, financial and technical, to extent that all of these were reduced to the bare minimum. It was like being attacked every day for six months.
“Things only changed when my son became so worried and came back to live with me as I’d been led to believe I was being watched and followed.
“It was then that Patel began to change his stance, starting to accuse me of bringing this not only on myself but also on him and his family, adding to my already high levels of anxiety, stress, and guilt.
“If it wasn’t for the police – primarily Det Cons Paul Vaughton – despite having a strong suspicion towards the end, I would never have been able to prove that my partner was behind this. I cannot thank Paul enough for his validation and belief in my experience, and his determination to bring the offender to justice.”
Domestic abuse investigator Det Cons Paul Vaughton said: “Patel was jealous and controlling. He couldn’t stand the victim having her own life and set up a whole new persona to harass and intimidate her, all the while portraying himself as the victim.
“The lengths to which Patel went to cause alarm and distress to the victim and her family were truly unbelievable. All the time he was trying to isolate her from her family and friends.
“I would like to thank the victim for the bravery and resolve she has shown throughout this investigation. This had a huge impact on her life, and I hope she can take some comfort from the sentence and look forward to more positive times ahead.
“I hope this case sends a clear message to those who cause so much damage to people’s lives through stalking and harassment. No matter how complicated the web of lies, we will unpick it, find the truth, and deliver justice.”
