A WOMAN and her children were left terrified following a three-month ordeal in which she was stalked by a stranger, a court has heard.

Clayton Courtney, 43, of Hafod y Mynydd, Rhymney, appeared at Newport Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday, October 20, after previously pleading guilty to a charge of stalking which caused serious alarm or distress.

Christopher Evans, prosecuting, told the court how the woman's ordeal began when Courtney - who she did not know - knocked on her door in Rhymney on Monday, April 11.

He was holding a crate of beer and, the victim said, was drunk, asking for help, and calling her beautiful.

She told him she would not let him in, to which he replied: “I won’t harm your children.”

Following this, the victim found out who the defendant was.

The court heard some time later the woman was shopping Merthyr Tydfil with her son  when he heard someone call her name, and when she turned around she saw Courtney standing two metres away.

Mr Evans told the court how others present told Courtney to leave the woman and her children alone.

That night, her children told her there was "a weird man" hiding in the bushes nearby, and when the woman went to look, she saw Courtney. He asked her not to call the police, but she did.

He attempted to speak to her on several other occasions when she was returning from shopping trips and from collecting her daughter from school, asking for her number and calling her “sweet cheeks”.

On another occasion the victim's son was playing in the garden when he called "the man, the man", and said Courtney was in the garden.

The victim said in a statement read to the court: “I have always been a confident person but as a mother I felt I could not protect my children. Because of the stalking, I have been afraid of my own shadow.”

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She continued: “I was afraid in my own house to fall asleep and that if I fell into a deep sleep, he would enter and I would be in danger.”

She also explained the impact the stalking had on her children who were left scared.

Kevin Seale, mitigating, said that his client understood the severity of the situation and expressed remorse. He explained how Courtney – who had a conviction for assault occasioning ABH in 2017 – has schizophrenia which is managed with medication and there are no incidents when he takes his medication but admitted that his use of alcohol is a problem.

Judge Shomon Khan told Courtney: “In my view, your offence is very serious and crosses the custody threshold. You understand the impact your actions have caused.”

He continued: “She feels as thought she is partly to blame, saying she thinks she could have been wearing something or doing something that made you attracted to her. Well, that’s just wrong - you are 100 per cent to blame for this but that just tells you how she was affected by this.”

Courtney was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was made the subject of an indefinite restraining order and a 12-month exclusion zone which would be monitored by electronic tag. He also had to pay a surcharge and complete 30 days rehabilitation activity requirement.