A man who relentlessly harassed his ex-girlfriend after a four-year ‘on-off’ relationship came to an end has narrowly avoided an immediate custodial sentence.
Aaron Valters, 31, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 10 November for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to three counts of breaching a court order and one count of harassment.
Prosecutor Keith Ballinger said the defendant, who is currently homeless and sofa surfing, was prohibited from contacting the woman – other than for arranging contact with his child he has with her – by a non-molestation order imposed in November 2021.
The order also prohibited him from threatening, harassing, pestering or intimidating her or going to any address he knows her to reside. The woman lives in Marlborough.
In March this year, Valters begged the victim to let him stay with her after he’d had child contact. She was pressured into allowing him to stay for one night but when asked to leave, he refused – remaining at the address for five months.
The woman spent a week in hospital and on her return on 19 August, she told him to leave. He again refused but this time, she managed to get him out of the house and lock the door.
She later discovered that Valters had removed all charging cables for her electronic devices. That same evening, the victim saw the defendant climb over her back gate on a number of occasions – but wasn’t able to call for help due to not being able to charge her phone.
Mr Ballinger said Valter had then stayed in her garden shed overnight, before shouting at her from outside immediately the following morning.
The woman later left the house and went to Bath. On returning home, the WiFi had been turned back on – and the victim believes he had entered whilst she was away.
He went on to contact her about a conversation she was having with a friend in person in her garden at home, causing her concern about how he was able to overhear it. It’s believed he then threw a small stone at the pair in a bid to get her attention.
The harassment continued until 1 October, with Valters going to the victim’s address and loitering outside on numerous occasions – with the incidents caught on CCTV. She believes he watched her from a wooded area which has a view over her home – sleeping in the trees for about a week.
When she took her children to the circus, the defendant appeared. She suspected he had followed her and after he tried to engage with her repeatedly, she called the police – who sent officers rushing to the scene.
On another occasion, he turned up near her doctor’s surgery as she walked home from an appointment.
The court heard that he previously harassed a former partner and was convicted of the offence in 2016. At the time, he was given a community order.
Charlotte Frizzell, defending said that her client accepts attending the woman’s house unwanted, but “felt an emotional pull to go back to the residence” after receiving unknown calls he believes were from his ex-girlfriend.
She said Valters suffers from mental health issues and is medicated for anxiety. He is currently engaging with a psychologist and his doctor has organised group sessions for work relating to coping with anxiety. He also attended Swindon Women’s Aid for help in relation to coping mechanisms.
Ms Frizzell said he quit his job in the Marlborough area to avoid any further contact with the woman.
She asked the court to follow the proposal put forward by the probation service – which involved work in the community – so that he’s “armed with the correct coping mechanisms in the future” for “when he moves on to a new relationship”.
Magistrates labelled the offending “persistent”, telling Valters that “only custody is appropriate”.
They imposed a nine-month prison sentence but suspended it for two years. In the community, he must complete 12 mental health treatment sessions, 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days around relationships and 100 hours of unpaid work.
A two-year restraining order was also imposed. It prohibits him from contacting her or her children unless agreed by the family court or social services.
He is also banned from attending the street in which she lives and a wooded area near her home. He also can’t attend a named road where the woman’s children attend nursery.
