Jealous stalker who left PCSO scared to open door winks as he learns he will be spared jail

A stalker who left his victim afraid to open her front door winked at his brother when he learned he had been spared an immediate prison sentence.

Despite being tol dhe was not welcome, Daniel Allen, 33, sent his former partner abusive messages and turned up at her house. He even harassed her in the street while she was on a patrol in her job as a PCSO in Wigan town centre.

Today (May 20), she told Preston Crown Court: "It has literally consumed my life."

Sarah Macgill, prosecuting, said Allen and his victim had been in an on off relationship for around 10 years and had children together. However in the summer of 2020, she ended the relationship and Allen became abusive.

He told her he wanted notice if she began seeing anyone else, so that he could 'vet' them. In December 2021, the victim told Allen she had met someone - triggering six months of "disgraceful, inappropriate, reprehensible behaviour" from her ex.

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Allen 'grilled' his ex-partner and the children during contact visits. On one occasion she recorded a 10 minute rant in which Allen called her 's**g' and a 'disgrace'.

"It was a vile stream of verbal abuse and you shouted that in front of your children", Recorder Katherine Jones, sentencing, said.

His victim felt unable to leave the house as she did not want to leave the children with him, so she went to her bedroom with her older child as Allen ranted: "At least I never put my fist through your face. Most men would have f***ing mullered you, they really would."

In the months that followed, Allen sent abusive messages over a number of different platforms - including a mobile phone his ex was paying for. He visited the house and sat outside, or banged on the door, refusing to leave.

She blocked Allen on social media and installed additional security at her home, including fire safety equipment, window alarms, security lights and door chains. She also limited his contact with the children, the court heard.

In January 2022, Allen was arrested and released on bail with conditions he must not contact his former partner. However when the bail expired in May, he sent a chaotic Facebook message, referencing his mental health and telling her: "Tell the boys I'm coming, ready or not."

The following month, his victim was warned Allen had told staff at his medical centre he would "smash her face in" if he was refused his medication, as he knew his ex's shift pattern. The same month, as the PCSO was on patrol in Wigan, she spotted Allen and bowed her head.

Allen shouted verbal abuse in the street, and her colleague, who was patrolling with her, had to intervene. The victim bravely took to the witness box at Preston Crown Court to set out the impact of her ex partner's behaviour.

She said: "I should feel safe in my own home but now my life is a constant reminder of how he makes me feel. I return home and I lock the doors, put the chains on and close the blinds. Each time there is a knock at the front door that I don't expect, I physically freeze. My whole body starts to shake and I find myself stood there in fear of who it could be on the other side."

She said the house is always dark as she keeps blinds and curtains closed and she is scared to go outside to collect items from the car or take the bins out after dark. In summer, she is nervous allowing the children to play in the garden and sits with her phone watching the fence, in case her partner jumps over to barge into the house.

"I am generally scared of Danny and what his next actions could be", she told the court. "He has progressively got worse and I really do not know where or when this will end. During the investigation he has approached me while in uniform and intimidated me and verbally abused me.

"If he has the mentality to do that to a professional uniformed person in company with another officer then I dread to think what he could do to me when out alone or with my children.

"I am always on edge and looking around me when I am out, in case Danny is there. This impacts massively on my life. Even a quick visit to the shops or going to the gym has become an effort.

"I used to be a very happy, chatty and outgoing girl but now I'm a figment of the woman I used to be. He wore me down over years and mentally and physically drained the life out of me until I wasn't me anymore. I found myself doing everything I could to keep him happy and lived like I was walking on eggshells.

"I would class myself as a strong and respectable woman who has seen and dealt with many difficult situations in my job role and there is very little in life that bothers me. I can honestly say I have never felt as scared, on edge and anxious about an individual."

Allen, of Fearnhead Close, Farnworth, pleaded guilty to stalking putting a person in fear of violence. His defence, Huw Edwards said the defendant suffers from ADHD and substance misuse. He also cares for his brother, who has a spinal injury, he said.

Sentencing Recorder Jones said: "This was an absolutely disgraceful piece of offending committed by you in which you displayed a staggering selfishness and complete lack of care or regard to your children who witnessed your behaviour, and who live every day with their mother's anxiety and fear - which is a result of what you did."

She said it was clear Allen was still using substances when he went to see Dr Matthew Appleyard for a psychiatric report, as he was drinking from a can of lager and smoking cannabis when he arrived.

Allen repeatedly objected from the dock when he heard allegations of his abuse towards his former partner. However a probation report found there was work which could be carried out in the community which would address his substane misuse and emotional responses, which Allen said he was willing to engage with.

Recorder Jones said she was mindful an immediate prison sentence would be relatively short and Allen would be released quickly and without having carried out rehabilitative work. Allen winked at his brother from the dock when the judge said she would suspend the prison sentence.

She imposed a sentence of 22 months suspended for two years with a four month curfew from 7pm to 7am and 25 days rehabilitation activity requirements.

She also granted a 10 year restraining order prohibiting Allen from contacting his ex or their children, from going to Wigan town centre or anywhere he knew she would be, or from posting about her or the children online.