Former West Yorkshire Police worker sentenced for stalking

Richard Marshall was given a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years

A former police forensics worker made a woman's life a "living hell" by stalking her, a court has heard.

Richard Marshall, 39, previously based in Wakefield, stalked his victim for six weeks, following her and her mother to Blackpool on one occasion.

He was also seen "hanging around" the woman's home "hoping to bump into her", Bradford Crown Court was told.

The former West Yorkshire Police worker was given a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

During Marshall's campaign of harassment, the most serious episode took place in September 2020 when the woman and her mother noticed a car "playing cat and mouse" with them on the motorway.

Prosecutor Imran Khan told the court the victim's mother took a note of the car's registration as they tried to lose the vehicle, which eventually sped off with the driver covering his face.

However, Mr Khan added: "Checks on the police national computer showed the car was registered to a Mr Marshall, an employee of West Yorkshire Police Force."

Marshall's behaviour led to his victim installing CCTV equipment at her home, changing her phone and getting a new car registration plate, the court was told.

In a victim impact statement she said his behaviour had made her life "a living hell" and she had suffered mental health issues as a result of the offending.

Marshall, who admitted stalking offences, was suspended from his role in the force's digital forensics unit at the start of the investigation.

Passing sentence, Recorder Anesh Pema said: "The distress that will have been caused to the victim is absolutely obvious."

Marshall, who the court heard had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the time of the offending due to the nature of his work, was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order, which bans him from contacting or approaching the complainant.