Man who slept among bins to 'feel close' to ex-girlfriend fined
Suraj Acharya had pleaded guilty to stalking the woman between November 2024 and January this year
- Published
A 35-year-old man who told his ex-girlfriend that he was sleeping among her bins to "feel close to her" has been fined £250.
Suraj Acharya, from Artana Street, Belfast, was also ordered to pay the woman £750 compensation after repeated cases of watching and following her movements.
Belfast Magistrates' Court heard he sent the victim messages stating he was "addicted" and "obsessed".
Acharya pleaded guilty to stalking the woman between November 2024 and January this year.
'Obsessed'
Prosecutors said the unwanted contact involved texting to disclose he had watched her from a distance while she was at work in Belfast.
As the behaviour escalated, he showed up at a bar where the woman was on a night out with colleagues and began drinking with the group.
She felt so uncomfortable and upset that she left the venue early to get a taxi home.
But Acharya got into another cab and followed the victim back to the house, where he was warned that police would be called if he did not leave.
During a further incident in December, he boarded the same bus as the woman, got off one stop after her and hung around outside her home for most of the night.
"He sent the injured party a WhatsApp message stating that he had been sleeping between her bins just to feel close to her," a crown lawyer said.
"He also sent her messages that he was addicted to her and obsessed with her."
In January, a further encounter took place at a Belfast shopping centre.
Days later, she was at her gym when Acharya showed up again, informing her he had also taken out a membership.
"This left her feeling very unnerved and that she had no choice but to leave that gym," the prosecutor added.
Acharya's lawyer Jonathan Browne said his client's actions were "alarming" but "it did not spill into any form of adverse physical contact".
A restraining order was also put in place, banning Acharya from contacting the victim or going within 200m of her home.