'Obsessed' man who stalked woman for years jailed

Rhys Hardman, 23, befriended the woman in 2018

An “obsessed” stalker who created fake social media profiles and dressed as a police officer to harass and blackmail a woman has been jailed.

Rhys Hardman, 23, befriended the woman in 2018 before going on to pester her online, hiding behind an account he claimed belonged to an ex-partner.

He was eventually arrested in July this year after going to her house dressed as a police officer in a bid to get her phone number.

Hardman, of Weates Close, Widnes, was jailed for seven years and eight months at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday.

Police said Hardman had posed as the ex-partner and used knowledge of the victim’s financial situation to persuade her to send indecent images of herself in exchange for £1,500, which was never received.

By October 2021, the woman began to withdraw from her friendship with Hardman but continued to receive unwanted contact from him posing as his ex-partner online.

She reported the harassment to the police in November.

Hardman then made his own complaint in a bid to try to avoid detection, telling police his ex-partner would be difficult to trace.

'Years of torment'

The victim still continued to receive unwanted contact as well as 37 friend requests from accounts she believed to be Hardman.

The messages featured a range of threats, including the possibility of leaking private images, police said.

Some photographs and personal details were also disclosed to strangers online.

Following his arrest Hardman pleaded guilty to blackmail, perverting the course of justice, two counts of disclosing private sexual images, two counts of stalking and impersonating a police constable.

He was also made suject to an indefinite criminal behaviour order on top of his custodial sentence.

Welcoming the sentencing, PC Meg Aspinall said Hardman was "obsessed with his victim” and had put her through “ years of torment”.