Man sentenced for stalking incidents in Norwich
He pleaded guilty to stalking and escaping lawful custody
A serial stalker, who repeatedly targeted women living at a property, in Norwich has been sentenced.
Cain Armes-Timbers, aged 24, of Edgeworth Road, Norwich, appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Tuesday 2 September, after pleading guilty to stalking and escaping lawful custody at an earlier hearing.
This follows three separate incidents, in which Armes-Timbers was seen loitering and behaving suspiciously outside a property on Wakefield Road.
The first incident took place in the early hours of 9 July 2024, when a woman who lived at the property saw a man, later identified at Armes-Timbers, standing topless outside the downstairs bedroom window. Although he initially moved away, he was seen again shortly afterwards in the same location, continuing to act suspiciously. The victim also noticed that the blinds had been disturbed from their original position before she saw him crawling away from the window.
On 14 July 2024, Armes-Timbers was observed again in the front garden of the property by one of the women who lived there. He was attempting to conceal himself in a bush and was seen looking into the bedroom and kitchen windows, making direct eye contact with one of the victims. Moments later, he was spotted attempting to step over their garden wall. At this point, the women inside the property became frightened and closed the blinds.
Following the previous incidents, the victims installed a Ring Doorbell CCTV camera at the front of the property to monitor activity.
In the early hours of 17 July 2024, two of the residents received a motion detection alert from the device while they were upstairs. The footage showed Armes-Timbers in the front garden again. Police were immediately called and arrived at the scene shortly afterwards.
While officers were present, the victims received a second notification showing Armes-Timbers walking past the property in the direction of Friends Road. Officers swiftly located him nearby; however, during the arrest, he managed to break free from their grip and fled the scene. Despite efforts to pursue him, he was not found.
Later that day, Armes-Timbers handed himself in at Earlham Police Station following a public press appeal. He was subsequently taken to Great Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre for questioning and was charged with stalking and escaping from lawful custody.
He was later released on police bail with conditions requiring him to remain indoors between the hours of 10:00pm and 6:00am daily.
During his court appearance, Armes-Timbers was handed a 12-month Community Order, 150 hours of unpaid work requirement, 20 days rehabilitation requirement, a six-month GPS electronic tag and £150 fine.
'Significant impact on victims'
Investigating officer, PC Harriet Howard, from Norwich District Crime Unit said: “These incidents had a significant and lasting impact on the victims, who were left feeling unsafe in their own home. Despite taking steps to increase their security, the distress caused by Armes-Timbers’ repeated behaviour ultimately led them to move address.
“This type of behaviour is unacceptable, and we encourage anyone experiencing signs of stalking or harassment to report incidents to us so these can be thoroughly investigated.”
If you are a victim of stalking, you can call police in an emergency on 999. You can also report a crime on 101 or via the Norfolk Constabulary website
For more information on reporting stalking, how to spot the signs and other support organisations, visit here