Carpet Cleaner Was Female Customer's Secret Phone Sex Pest

Phone Pest: Gary Young

A female stalking victim was left "distressed, upset and sick" after discovering her carpet cleaner was the mystery man behind a campaign of sexually-explicit phone calls.

Gary Victor Young, 38, of Larch Close, Hersden, Canterbury visited the woman's landmark building to give her a quote for the job while he was also plaguing her with the repeated calls from an unidentified number.

He pleaded guilty at Hammersmith Magistrates Court to communicating indecent and offensive messages between October 16 and November 9, last year to Veronica Rivera, who lives in the Piper Building, Peterborough Road, Fulham.

Prosecutor Mr. Ramesh Patel told the court today: "Mrs Rivera was contacted in October, last year by a man calling himself 'Gary' who was following-up on a carpet cleaning enquiry she had made two months earlier.

"Following this she began receiving a series of phone calls from an unknown number of a sexually-explicit nature."

The caller told her: "You're gorgeous," and: "I wanna f*** you."

Six days after 'Gary' first called about the carpet cleaning Young arrived at her home to inspect the job.

"After this she again received a series of unknown calls in the early hours," explained Mr. Patel. "The caller repeatedly said: 'I wanna f*** you.'"

She received approximately eight such calls between 7am and 8am, which then followed for two more weeks with the mystery man saying: "Your husband is a psycho. He's f***ing my mate's misses."

Banned: Piper Building

It was only when carpet-cleaner 'Gary' ended a phone call to her with the words: "Thank-you darling," Mrs Rivera realised he was her stalker.

"She felt distressed, upset and sick," added Mr. Patel. "She went into her toilet cubicle at work to cry."

Mrs Rivera contacted police, who persuaded her to make one more call to Young to help identify him as the mystery caller.

They also used RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) to identify Young.

When arrested he denied having anything to do with the calls.

"I'm totally embarrassed by the situation," Young told the court. "I have not done it before and I won't do it again."

Deputy District Judge Malcolm Dodds told him: "This was disgraceful behaviour, very upsetting, unprovoked and the last thing a woman needs is an offensive man making these phone calls.

"Woman, in fact everybody, needs protection from that."

The court heard Young is currently undergoing counselling for an alcohol problem and is his father's carer.

He was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, placed on probation for eighteen months and ordered to pay £100 compensation to Mrs Rivera and £85 costs.

Young will also have to obey an eighteen  month exclusion requirement, prohibiting him contacting Mrs Rivera and visiting the Piper Building.