A STALKER publicly proposed to a woman in a café where she worked and would sit and stare at her for hours, a court heard.

Ali Jabbar appeared at the woman’s work with flowers and sent pictures of his self-harm when she rejected him.

The 28-year-old was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on January 12 for one charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, after he was found guilty by a jury.

The pair had been in a relationship in 2022 but had remained on friendly terms when separating in January the following year.

When returning from a holiday in Thailand, the woman had been home for less than a week when Jabbar appeared at her workplace in Bournemouth.

The defendant continued to arrive at the café, between March and April during Ramadan, which the victim thought was strange because he would not be eating or drinking during the day.

Judge William Mousley KC said Jabbar would stare at the woman while she worked, ‘making her feel scared by his continuous pestering’.

The victim told her employers she did not want to go to work and that she felt unsafe leaving.

The defendant was arrested in April, after the woman contacted the police, and was told to stay away from her workplace and not to contact her after being released on police bail.

This worked for a short period of time but on June 20, 2023, Jabbar broke his bail conditions and publicly proposed to the woman in the café, in front of colleagues and members of the public.

On July 3 Jabbar stood outside the café for around three hours with a bunch of flowers and put them into her bag when she refused to accept them.

On a different occasion he ‘followed, pestered and harassed’ the woman while she was walking to a bus stop.

A female member of the public intercepted but Jabbar later found the victim again and threw flowers at her while she was entering a bus.

A few days later the defendant appeared at her work with more flowers, and the victim contacted the police again where he was arrested and remanded in custody on July 15, 2023.

In a victim statement read to the court by prosecutor, Leigh Hart, the woman requested a restraining order so that she could ‘continue her life without fear or concern’.

Mitigating, Kevin Hill, said that Jabbar suffered difficulties and challenges in his life and was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder.

The defendant was sentenced to 36 weeks imprisonment, but Judge Mousley added that he had already served this time whilst awaiting trial.

Judge Mousley told the court that Jabbar is an asylum seeker from Iraq and therefore is likely to remain in custody until the Home Office decides whether he will be deported.