Matthew Howells, 31, an associate with Bishopsgate international American law firm Cooley, even championed himself via those fake profiles, describing himself as a “good guy” to his former partner, magistrates were told.
The Bristol Law School graduate, who is employed on the firm’s venture capital team, broke down in the dock at Wimbledon Magistrates Court as his lawyer outlined his life achievements.
Howells, who arrived at court in a BMW convertible, of Clapham Manor Street, Clapham pleaded guilty to stalking optometrist Sumita Mistry, 30, between March 31 and July 8, last year.
He received a twelve-month Community Order, which includes a ten-day rehabilitation requirement and must pay £500 compensation to his ex-girlfriend.
Howells was also made subject to a two-year restraining order, prohibiting him contacting Sumita or going to her address and must also pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
After the split he bombarded his ex-girlfriend with unwanted phone calls and texts - even creating the bogus online profile ‘Alex’ on dating app Hinge - which the victim believed was a genuine suitor, said prosecutor Harriet James.
When she told ‘Alex’ via online chats she was sunbathing on Clapham Common Howells suddenly appeared twenty minutes later and continued his attempts to woo her back into his affections, added the prosecutor.
While also posing as ‘Alex’ and deliberately matching online with Sumita he claimed to know her ex-boyfriend from playing football, describing him as a “good guy” and dismissing her suggestion her ex was a stalker, explained Ms James.
She also matched online with ‘Jake’, but suspected it was the defendant posing as another date and cut off contact, the court heard.
“I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I don’t know what will make him stop,” Ms Mistry told the court in her victim impact statement. “I don’t trust dating apps anymore and I don’t trust my friends.
“This has caused anxiety and has effected my work and I have had to cancel work,” she added. “I would like a restraining order for life.”
The pair had been in a relationship, but split due to Howells’ infidelity, said his ex.
Ms Mistry told police: “We broke up on March thirty-one because he cheated on me and I told him to leave me alone.
“I blocked him on Instagram and did not answer his calls and blocked all contact with him.”
She asked a flatmate to deal with handing over Howells’ belongings to him and when he did get through to her on the phone told him to: “F*** off,” the court was told.
“He emailed her and she did not reply and called her asking to meet up,” explained Ms James. “He came to her flat uninvited and got through the communal door and her flatmate gave him his belongings.
“The defendant continued to send more emails and make calls, only stopping for a period when he knew she was in Dubai.
“He asked to meet up when she returned and on April 12 when she was walking to work he started following her, a part of the evidence the defence does not accept.
“Mr Howells asked to meet her at a pub and near her work she found him sitting outside a public house and they talked for three hours.
“He told her he wanted to send her a song he had written and then on another occasion he was outside her home again.
“The complainant also bumped into Mr Howells at her local tube station when he told her: ‘I’m going in the same direction,’ then contacted her to go on a rock concert date with him.
“She stopped all contact, but came home one day to find gifts of flowers, a chocolate bunny and card by her door,” added Ms James.
“She then bumped into him at her local supermarket and the next day spent all day together."
Feeling vulnerable staying in her flat due to Howells, Ms Mistry made other sleeping arrangements on one occasion and the defendant asked: “Where did you spend the night? Your curtains were not closed.”
She admitted weakness in a drunken moment resulted in her contacting Howells because she “missed him” and he stayed the night, but they split again afterwards.
“He had a breakdown and started crying,” explained the prosecutor, adding Howells would deliberately leave personal items, such as his watch, behind at the flat to give him an excuse to return.
One day in May she received six missed calls from him and on May 15 there were eight.
“Mr Howells began using a new number, which the complainant unwittingly answered and on May 17 he was sitting on a bench outside her work when she left, asking to go for a drink.”
On May 21 she matched with a ‘Jake’ on an online dating app. “Due to their text conversations she became suspicious,” said Ms James.
“The next day she matched with ‘Alex’ and later told him she was working in Clapham and was on the common. Twenty minutes later this defendant appeared while she was sunbathing.
“While adopting the ‘Alex’ dating profile Mr Howells claimed he knew who Ms Mistry had been dating and said: ‘He’s a good guy and not stalking you.’
“|n June she received another call from a new number and it was the defendant. She told him: ‘Stop stalking me or I will contact the police.’
“She called the Stalking Helpline and they advised her to contact the police.
“There is an incredible high degree of planning here in setting up dating profiles and matching with the complainant on dating sites,” concluded the prosecutor. “There was a significant level of stress.”
Howells was arrested on June 17, last year and has not contacted his ex-girlfriend since.
“As a solicitor he is at a high risk of being struck off or sacked from his American company,” said Kevin Smith, defending, producing a character reference from a Detective Inspector.
“He is the first generation of his family to go to university and feels he has let everybody down,” said Mr Smith of the University of the West of England Masters graduate.
“He assists his parents and brother and spends £5,000 per month on other peoples rent and he volunteers with St. Mungo’s and Citizens Advice.
“When he landed his current job there were one thousand other applicants for it as well.”
“He is at low-risk of offending or causing serious harm according to the Probation Service.”
No comments:
Post a Comment