A Wiltshire man has been imprisoned for two years after admitting stalking a woman and breaching a restraining order put in place to protect her.
Josh Clift was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on 4 June. He pleaded guilty to stalking, breaching a restraining order and sharing a photograph or film of someone in an intimate state.
The victim initially secured a non-molestation order following repeated unwanted contact from 31-year-old Clift. After that order was breached, a restraining order was imposed.
Clift, of Davies Road, Longhenge, went on to breach the restraining order and was convicted earlier this year.
In February, he sent numerous messages to the victim each day, which included threats and abusive comments. He also shared a video of her in an intimate state, causing significant distress.
Even when blocked, Clift found other ways to contact her through different platforms. When officers attempted to arrest him, he then went on the run – sparking a manhunt.
Wiltshire Police Local Crime Investigator Cantillon said: “Clift was relentless in his attempts to contact the victim, sending multiple messages every day, which ranged from being abusive, proclaiming his love for her and threatening her.
“He even threatened to take a gravestone of a family member of the victim. When she didn’t reply, he then shared an intimate video of her, before going on the run from police.
“His persistent offending led to his victim feeling extremely distressed, anxious and unsafe. Nobody should be made to feel this way.
“I’d like to pay tribute to the victim who has shown real strength in reporting her ordeal to police – without her support, Clift would have continued to offend.
“I am glad the courts have handed him a custodial sentence – this shows the serious nature of this type of offending and that it will not be tolerated.”
In addition to the two year custodial sentence, the restraining order has been extended for a further 10 years, prohibiting Clift from contacting the victim.
