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The man, Amrit Magar, who stalked Emma Raducanu at her home in Bromley, has been handed a 5-year restraining order after he was found guilty of the offence against the 19-year-old British No 1 and her family at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Your actions have caused changes of lifestyle for the family, not least the acquisition of security measures and moving house. He should not be going anywhere near where Ms Raducanu is going to compete or train. Sushil Kumar, District Judge
Magar, 35, visited the Raducanu house several times where he was caught on doorbell video, on one occasion walking 23 miles and taking her father’s shoe from the porch as a souvenir.
The former delivery driver, from Harrow, north-east London, turned up 3 times, once decorating a tree in the front garden with Christmas lights and leaving other decorations in a gift bag on her porch.
He also left a bouquet of flowers with a note reading: “nothing to say but you deserve love”, and posted a card including a hand-drawn map to show the ’23 miles’ he had walked from his home to the World No 12’s address.
Magar, originally from Nepal, was arrested after Raducanu’s father, Ian, was alerted to his presence by the doorbell camera, noticed a trainer he had left in the porch was missing, then followed him in his car, after which he was eventually arrested.
He told officers he had been ‘drawn’ to Raducanu ‘because of her high-profile status after her victory in the US Open’ and had taken the shoe believing it belonged to her as a ‘souvenir’.
Speaking to police while preparing for the Australian Open last month, Raducanu said of her ordeal: “Because of this, I feel like my freedom has been taken away.
“I feel on edge and worried this could happen again. I don’t feel safe in my own home which is where I should feel safest.”
An un-dated handout photo issued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of a map illustrating the 23 miles Amrit Magar had walked from Edgware, north London to meet tennis player Emma Raducanu
Last month, Magar was found guilty of stalking between 1 November and 4 December after a trial and, on Wednesday, was handed a five-year restraining order by District Judge Sushil Kumar.
The order bans him from contacting Raducanu or her parents, coming within a mile of their street, and attending any sports ground, stadium or training facility where she is in competition or attending to train.
He was also sentenced him to an 18-month community order, including 200 hours of unpaid work and an 8-week curfew between 9pm and 6am monitored by an electronic tag.
He must also pay £500 pounds in costs and a £95 victim surcharge.
Reading Raducanu’s victim statement, prosecutor Denise Clewes said: “The incidents made her feel very apprehensive if she goes out.
“Her parents are reluctant to let her go out on her own.
“She feels her freedom has been taken away and is constantly looking over her shoulder.”
The court heard that Raducanu no longer feels ‘safe in her own home’ and the stalking has ‘put a lot of stress on the family’.
“She feels her privacy has been invaded, which makes her feel uncomfortable and uneasy,” said Clewes.
Raducanu’s father also made a statement, telling the court he is ‘very worried about his daughter’s safety and security and concerned the man may want revenge’ because he called the police.
He said the incident has highlighted ‘how exposed they are as a family and how easy it is to find where she lives’.
Raducanu’s mother, Renee, said the family ‘want to move house so they have better security and feel safer’.
After finding Magar guilty, Judge Kumar said: “I accept there was some degree of planning.
“Your actions have caused changes of lifestyle for the family, not least the acquisition of security measures and moving house.
“He should not be going anywhere near where Ms Raducanu is going to compete or train.”