Hampshire man jailed for breaching Surrey's first Stalking Order
Alexander De Frietas breached its conditions three times
A man from north Hampshire issued with Surrey's first Stalking Protection Order has been jailed after breaking rules preventing him from contacting his victim.
47-year-old Alexander De Frietas, from Cricket Green in Hook, was given the order last year after multiple allegations of stalking.
He was charged with breaching its conditions three times in August this year.
He appeared at Guildford Crown Court on Friday (5th November) where he was sentenced to 9.5 months in prison and issued with a restraining order.
Stalking Protection Orders were introduced in January 2020, giving police forces the power to further protect victims earlier in the criminal justice process.
Superintendent Wendy Whiting, Force Lead for Stalking said: "We take stalking and harassment extremely seriously and we are making sure our officers are equipped in order to apply for and enforce Stalking Protection Orders and ensure any breaches are dealt with properly. We have made good use of this legislation since it was introduced in January 2020 and have a number of orders in place to support victims."
Ms Whiting said stalking reports have been increasing in the past few years, though it's still a crime that can often go undetected due to victims being unaware of the signs.
Stalking is described as a pattern of fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated behaviour and can have such an adverse impact on victims.
Surrey Police work with a number of partner agencies, who are available to provide support to victims and their families including The Suzy Lamplugh Trust and the National Stalking Helpline.