Stalker followed victim across the country, got a job at her workplace and lived in tent in woods

A stalker has been jailed after moving from Bedfordshire to North Yorkshire to be near his victim – even living in a tent and getting a job at the factory where she worked.

Igor Gorbochov, 41, was caught by police in the woman's house and pretended he was there to change the locks, York Crown Court heard.

He has been jailed for 20 months after pleading guilty to stalking and breaching a previous restraining order.

His victim has told how she often stays at friends' houses as she is too scared to be by herself at home, and is seeing a doctor for depression.

Gorbochov had previously been convicted of domestic violence towards the woman and was banned from contacting her.

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She moved to Selby, North Yorkshire, without telling him, but he found out where she was, got a job with her employer, and regularly turned up at her house drunk.

He was sacked after the woman showed her manager the restraining order, but Gorbochov stayed in the market town and continued to contact her.

When police arrested Gorbochov on a different matter, he claimed to be living with the woman at her address and was arrested for breaching the restraining order and released on bail.

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Despite this, he continued showing up at her house two or three times a week, until he was eventually caught inside the home in October last year.

At the time, he gave police officers a false name and claimed to be changing the locks, the court heard.

"I am very scared to be alone at home and I cannot go to work," the woman said in a personal statement to the court.

"I stay away from home a lot because I am frightened at home. I stay with friends."

Gorbochov's barrister Harry Bradford said the defendant wanted to return to Bedfordshire to work with his brother, be self-reliant, and send money home to his family in Latvia.

Gorbochov, who has been in custody since his arrest in October, is "fully supportive" of the restraining order remaining in place, his lawyer said.

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Judge Simon Hickey said: "You have a poor record of complying with court orders. There is clearly a risk of a danger to the victim in this case.

"In July 2022, you turned up unannounced, and unexpectedly at her address. She wouldn't let you in and asked you to leave. You started living nearby in a tent in a forest."

Gorbochov, who followed proceedings with the help of a Russian interpreter, was jailed for 20 months and his restraining order was extended by five years.

Not only can he not contact the woman or visit her home or workplace, he is also banned from referring to her in any social media posts.