Stalker Sentenced For Harassing House Of Lords Political Advisor

Khan leaving Westminster Magistrates Court

A herbalist, who stalked a House of Lords advisor at a private gym, where he pestered her with notes and gifts and tried to follow her home, received a suspended prison sentence yesterday.

Jumshed Khan, 50, first met 38 year-old Cambridge-graduate Roshani Palamakumbura, who has a degree in Political Philosophy and is a policy advisor on EU and foreign affairs, during their yoga classes.

They were both regulars at Millbank Bannatyne Health Club, around the corner from her Westminster office and near Khan’s apartment in Peabody Estate, Old Pye Street.

He was convicted of stalking her between June 1, 2015 and August 22, last year and received sixteen weeks imprisonment, suspended for eighteen months.

Khan must also perform 150 hours community service work, attend up to thirty days of rehab, and pay £500 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

District Judge Tan Ikram told him at Westminster Magistrates Court: “She left the gym, she stopped going to yoga classes. I think this is more than unpleasant and it went on for years and years.”

Also imposing an indefinite restraining order, prohibiting contact with Ms Palamakumbura, the judge added: “For years you showed unwanted attention towards this lady, who wanted nothing to do with you.

“You did not stop, you sent her letters, you sent her mother a letter and on one occasion she had to seek help from passers-by.

“This is a serious offence and is a million miles away from harmless and you seem to have shown little remorse.

“You ignored her saying to you: ‘Go away’ and that is an aggravating feature. If you speak to her again you will go to prison.

“You came very close to being sent to prison today, but the public are better protected by you tackling these issues rather than going to prison.”

Stalked: Roshani Palamakumbura

The trial heard Khan made inappropriate comments to Ms Palamakumbura, followed her to the nearby Underground Station and gave her a “strange” and “disturbing” 26-page handwritten letter.

Khan also muscled his way into drinks with her boss, former director of the Refugee Council Lord Dubs, 85, then complained to the court about having to pay.

“I had to pay for the drinks because he wouldn’t cough up, it was two glasses of wine in the Westminster Arms that cost £19.95. I was hoping he was going to pay, but he never did.” 

The court heard Khan was angered by her choice of new personal trainer at the gym - a notorious ladies man named ‘Paul’ - and he claimed the pair had concocted the case against him.

“When Roshani began sleeping with Paul they began conspiring together to get me kicked out of the gym. Paul hates me and I think he used Roshani,” claimed Khan.

However, Ms Palamakumbura, a wine expert once employed as a sommelier by Gordon Ramsay, said she lied about the romance to get Khan off her back. “He was shaking, upset, emotional, almost close to tears.

“I did lie to him and said: ‘Yes. I’m sleeping with Paul, we’re in a relationship.’ I thought that was the best way to end things. I had to get him out of my space.

“I began avoiding the gym, I stopped going to yoga and was careful about what I was wearing. I had changed.

“I tried to avoid classes I knew Jay (Khan) would go to and noticed if I started going to a new class he would to or sit outside my pilates class.

“I never went to the sauna again and I felt uncomfortable about going to the swimming pool because I knew he’d be there. I was angry and felt I’d lost control of my life.”

She eventually went to the police on August 22, last year after a yoga class row. “Jay walked in and was extremely angry and said: ‘You’re in my place and you know it.’

“He was seething. It was incredibly scary and he deliberately wanted me intimidated and he was enjoying it.”

That led to the gym banning Khan. “When Jay was banned it changed everything, not having him there.”

Khan claimed the only written paper he gave her was a health drink remedy, however Ms Palamakumbura told the court: “He gave me written pieces of paper and little gifts.

“I made it clear I thought he was a bit of a quack that didn’t know what he was talking about regarding yoga or health.

“He misinterprets slight interest. He has an incapacity to read signals from women and was very interested in giving advice on how I should diet and look.”

Regarding the 26-page letter she added: “It disgusted me at the time. It’s a pathetic unrequited crush.

“The yoga teacher did tell Jay off for staring. How can he tell me I’m wearing too much make-up or my posture is wrong if he’s not staring?

“There was another letter after that, something to my mother and he was begging me to go to dinner or for a drink with him.”

Her gym pal Emma Mackintosh saw the long letter, describing it as “creepy, strange and disturbing,” telling the court: “It was like he was psychoanalysing her, I think he was a bit obsessed with her.”

Khan claimed to be a “devoted friend and confidante” to Ms Palamakumbura. “She would tell me intimate details of her private life and confide in me about other men she was seeing.

“I became more of an advisor and could see she was making a lot of mistakes. She had multiple relationships with men.

“I helped her lose weight and get rid of her spots.”

Prosecutor Mr. Jonathan Bryan said: “He is a classic stalker. He is absolutely obsessed with this young woman, even when she makes it obvious she doesn’t want his attention.”