Stalker jailed after using car to follow woman around Peterborough
A man who stalked a woman by following her around Peterborough in his car has been jailed.
Joaquim Tavares (49) of Limetree Avenue, Millfield, Peterborough, was seen loitering near the woman’s vehicle on multiple occasions and was captured following her on CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.
On one occasion, as she left a café, the victim saw Tavares’ car parked across the road.
Two days later, he was again seen waiting nearby and followed the victim in his car.
While driving behind her, Tavares shouted out of his window, beeped his horn repeatedly and flashed his headlights.
On a separate occasion, Tavares drove up to the victim as she walked to her car and wound his window down.
She called the police and officers found Tavares and arrested him for stalking.
A knuckleduster was found in his driver’s side door pocket. He was also found to be driving without a licence or insurance.
In police interview, Tavares denied stalking the victim and gave various excuses as to why he was in the area, including visiting a friend, buying paracetamol, and stopping to change the music on his phone.
Following a trial in September, Tavares was found guilty of stalking involving serious alarm or distress.
He had pleaded guilty to possession of the knuckleduster and the driving offences at an earlier hearing.
He was sentenced to one year in prison and handed a restraining order at Cambridge Crown Court at a hearing on October 16.
Afterwards, Detective Constable George Corney, who investigated, said: “This was a deeply distressing experience for the victim, who showed great courage in reporting what was happening and gathering evidence.
"Stalking is a serious offence, and we will continue to take robust action against those who cause fear and harm through this behaviour.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing stalking, visit Cambridgeshire police's dedicated stalking and harassment web pages for help and advice.