Cross-County Trek To Harass Ex-Fellow School Pupil

Stefan Grys 

A Lincolnshire man sent an intimate picture of himself to a former fellow-school pupil and travelled halfway across the country to harass her at work while disguising himself behind a mask.

Stefan Mark Grys, 26, bombarded the woman with hundreds of facebook messages and repeatedly entered the cosmetics shop she worked in, despite being ordered to leave.

At Wimbledon Magistrates Court yesterday Grys, of Cedar Road, Stamford was placed on a twelve-month community order, which includes up to ten days rehabilitation.

He was also made subject to a an indefinite restraining order, prohibiting contact with Grace Powell-Smith and entering the SW19 Wimbledon postcode.

Grys pleaded guilty to harassing the woman, who attended the same Peterborough school as him, on June 15 at Lush, Wimbledon Bridge.

Prosecutor Ms Sudara Weerasena told the court the pair were not schoolfriends, but Grys approached her in Peterborough in 2013.

“She felt uncomfortable due to the conversation and wanted it to end and went into a shop to avoid the defendant.

“The defendant contacted her in May, this year and sent multiple facebook messages and she did not understand why because they had nothing in common.

“He sent a photo of his penis, but there was no reason for this, it was unwanted.

“It included the message: 'If you had to choose money or a big dick what would you go for?'

“He also sent another message, saying: 'I guess I felt led on.'

“She says the facebook messages were in the hundreds and she blocked him.”

On June 15 Grys suddenly appeared at her workplace.

“He attended her work address in Wimbledon,” explained Ms Weerasena. “He was wearing a large mask and a beanie hat and she did not recognise him at first.

“He was acting strangely and asked: 'Do you recognise me?' and took off the mask and hat.

“He was asked to leave, but returned and then returned for a third time.”

When the shop closed Grys was loitering outside and the victim started looking for either security guards or police to assist her to the train station.

Wimbledon Magistrates' Court

Grys shouted at her: “Grace, you need to speak to me. You owe me that.”

In her victim impact statement Ms Powell-Smith said she was “shocked” by the intimate picture, adding: “When I saw him in the shop my stomach dropped.

“I panicked and was shaking all day and have hardly slept since. I am scared he will find out where I live and feel physically sick and upset.”

During the hearing Grys made rambling comments about plagues, trade deals and economic collapse, demanding the case be transferred to an Ecclesiastical court.

The magistrates heard Grys had difficulty picking up on the fact his attention was unwanted and failed to interpret the effect he was having on her.

He told the court: “I want to say I won't visit Lush or contact Grace again.”

He was also fined £40, with £85 costs and ordered to pay a £95 victim surcharge.