Plymouth woman terrified after stalker ex gets tattoo of her on his entire back
A stalker who got a tattooist to draw his ex-partner's face to cover his entire back - after they had split up - has been ordered by a judge to stay away from her for five years.
Murat Nabi, aged 22 and of Woolster Court, Plymouth, appeared at Truro Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to the single charge of stalking.
The court was told that Nabi was in a relationship with the woman, but after it came to an end he began to stalk and harass her, beginning in November 2023 and through to September 2024.
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He was arrested and later charged to appear at Plymouth Magistrates' Court where the court heard he had had "an adverse effect on her usual day-to-day activities" by "constantly messaging her, placing a tracker on her vehicle, sending her flowers, money and getting her face tattooed on your back".
Police have confirmed that Nabi had actually place a total of five tracking devices in the woman's car and that the tattoo of her face covered his entire back. After it was completed he sent her a picture of his back which caused her great distress.
Judge Robert Linford, sentencing Nabi at Truro Crown Court, handed him a jail sentence of 15 months, but suspended it for 18 months. He was ordered to complete 10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and complete up to 30 days of a suitable programme.
In addition, Nabi was made subject of a restraining order not to directly or indirectly contact his victim, nor to enter a named street in Plymouth for the next five years. He also ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £187.
Following the sentencing hearing, a spokesperson for Plymouth police said: "The victim and the suspect were in a relationship for approximately 18 months to two years.
"However, following the end of the relationship, the victim noticed that the suspect started to appear at locations that she was at. It transpired that suspect has placed five tracking devices to the victim's vehicle in various locations, some more concealed than others.
"The suspect [Nabi] attended the home address of the victim after the relationship ended to leave gifts on the doorstep which included flowers.
"The suspect also had a photo of the victim tattooed on to his back. The tattoo is large and covers the entirety of the suspect's back from neck to waistline and side-to-side. After getting the tattoo done, the suspect sent a photo of it to his victim. The tattoo was obtained by the suspect after the end of the relationship and caused the victim a great deal of distress.
"The suspect would use several different numbers and platforms to make unwanted contact with the victim after the relationship broke downbreakdown, so much that its difficult to quantify how many there were.
"The whole ordeal lasted around 10 months. It had a significant impact on their wellbeing and life and caused the to have time off of work as well have having a negative impact on their mental health."
The spokesperson added: "We want to raise awareness to people that any incident like this can and should be reported to police at the earliest opportunity so that can be investigated fully and dealt with robustly.
"Police have several powers available to them to enable victims of stalking and harassment offences to be safeguarded, which include Stalking Protection Orders."
What is stalking and harassment?
Stalking and harassment is when someone repeatedly behaves in a way that makes you feel scared, distressed or threatened. If this unwanted behaviour happens two times or more, it may be a crime and you can report it to us.
If someone has behaved towards you in a way that's made you feel scared, distressed or threatened and it's happened once it could be antisocial behaviour, hate crime or another offence. Please report the incident to us.
Both stalking and harassment are offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. They're crimes we take very seriously and we're here for you if this is something you're experiencing.
Stalking and harassment are very similar offences. Don't worry if you're not sure whether you're being stalked or harassed. If you report it to us, just tell us what's been happening and we'll be able to explain if an offence has been committed and what that offence is.
Harassment
Harassment may include:
sending abusive text messages or images
posting abusive messages on social media
neighbour disputes that involve abusive behaviour or damage to property
repeated antisocial behaviour
making unwanted or offensive phone calls
It's harassment if the unwanted behaviour has happened two times or more and made you feel distressed or threatened.
Stalking
Stalking is a form of harassment, but the stalker will have an obsession with the person they're targeting and their repeated, unwanted behaviour can make the victim feel distressed or scared.
Stalking may include:
following someone
going uninvited to their home
hanging around somewhere they know the person often visits
watching or spying on someone
identity theft (signing-up to services, buying things in someone's name)
writing or posting online about someone if it's unwanted or the person doesn't know
It's stalking if the unwanted behaviour has happened two times or more and made you feel scared, distressed or threatened.
Online stalking or harassment
Online stalking or harassment is when someone monitors, stalks, harasses, threatens, controls or impersonates another person using the internet or other technology.
Online stalking or harassment may include:
monitoring someone’s internet use, email or other electronic communication
cyber flashing
getting access to someone's email and social media accounts
spamming and sending viruses
stealing someone's identity
threatening to share private information, photographs, copies of messages
adding tracking software to someone's devices
It's online stalking or harassment if the unwanted behaviour has happened two times or more and made you feel scared, distressed or threatened.
The impact of stalking and harassment
The unwanted, repeated attention can have a serious impact on your physical or mental health, as well as your day-to-day life. Some people who have been stalked or harassed have had to make changes to their daily lives; some have changed jobs or moved house.
It's important that you get the support you need if this is something you're experiencing. If you're not ready to report to us, that's OK, there are other organisations that can give you advice and help.
You can find out more about stalking and harassment and how you can report it on the Devon and Cornwall Police site here