Crewe man jailed after harassing a woman he believed he was in a relationship with

A man who harassed a woman whom he believed himself to be in a relationship with has been jailed for 52 weeks.

Jacob Malek, 31, appeared at Warrington Magistrates' Court on Friday 21st March where he was sentenced to 52 weeks imprisonment.

During his court hearing, it was heard that at around 12.30am on 27th January 2025, officers in Crewe attended an address on Badger Avenue following reports that a man had arrived at the address and was shouting and kicking at the door.

Several neighbours flagged down officers close to the scene, claiming that Malek was at the victims' address and that he was not allowed to be there under bail conditions.

Malek was subsequently taken into custody on suspicion of breach of bail, however, it would be later ascertained that there were no such conditions in place preventing him from contacting the victim.

Officers subsequently spoke to the victim, who explained that Malek had recently been released from prison and had been frequently attempting to contact her by messaging her daughter's Facebook Messenger account.

This large number of messages, all unwanted, was an attempt to get her to speak to him. After he received no reply, Malek arrived at the address and began shouting at her to let him in.

Allegations were also made that Malek had previously forced his way into the address by climbing through a bathroom window leaving the victim to fear for her safety and that of her children.

These revelations led to Malek being de-arrested for breach of bail and arrested on suspicion of harassment. 

During his interview, Malek told investigating officers that he could see that the amount of messages he sent to her paired with the fact he had previously turned up to the address unannounced on several occasions may cause her to be fearful. However, he went on to say that he would never hurt her or want to cause her fear.

Malek was subsequently charged with stalking with fear of violence and entered a not-guilty plea on his first appearance in court on 6 February. However, four days later, he changed his plea to guilty and would appear at Warrington Magistrates' Court on 21 March for sentencing.

Along with his 52-week prison sentence, Jacob Malek, of Merrills Avenue, Crewe, would be handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim and entering the vicinity of Badger Avenue.

Following his sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Danielle Knox, of the Protecting Vulnerable People Command Team, said:

"Unfortunately, cases of offenders developing obsessions with those who do not want to be in relationships with them and going to extreme lengths to maintain that illusion are all too common. 

"I do hope that, now Malek has admitted his crimes and is being held accountable for them, the victim can begin to move on with their lives without fear that he could be behind every corner or turning up to her address uninvited and forcing his way inside.

"Upon his release, Malek will remain under the conditions of a restraining order for five years, meaning he will be continually monitored and the victim safeguarded until the year 2030.

"Investigations such as these always put the needs and welfare of the victims at the heart of their work and this conviction demonstrates the commitment our officers from the Harm Reduction Unit Investigations team have to bringing offenders who commit stalking and harassment offences to justice.”

Pictured - Jacob Malek.