A BRAVE woman confronted her stalker after his four-month campaign of unwanted advances almost drove her to suicide, a court has heard.
Izabela Smialek, 29, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, gathered her immense courage to take 32-year-old ‘creep’ Yousif Mohammed to task in the street and photograph him as he lurked near her home.
Mr Mohammed reportedly became infatuated with his victim when he spotted her walking on her daily commute.
He had apparently cat-called her, offered her lifts in his car and followed her into various streets urging her to go off with him.
Things got so bad that she shared a location app on her phone so friends would ”find her body” and she even contemplated taking her own life.
Bolton Crown Court heard that he would follow Polish-born Izabela to work and the gym almost every day between November 2021 and March this year.
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Other alleged creepy acts included loitering outside her home in his white BMW, giving her flowers and saying how much he “loved and missed her”.
The ‘weirdo’ was warned and then arrested, but continued pestering her after he was bailed.
Things came to a head when Izabela courageously confronted the stalker, taking pictures of him as he lurked nearby and shouting “you need to leave me alone”, after which he was rearrested.
Afterward, she posted the photos on social media, writing: “‘Women of Wigan! This man is dangerous. If you see him or his car, please call 999!”
She told the court of her ordeal, including the fact that she could not eat due to stress and had to take liquid food suplements.
Mr Mohammed denied any wrongdoing and laughed over video link from prison, where he is being held on remand, as she spoke.
The terrified victim even briefly moved back to Poland to get away from him.
Finance clerk Izabela said: “I did not know who this man is or what he wanted from me but he seemed to be everywhere I went.
“I wanted him to stop and I told him on several occasions to leave me alone but unfortunately the more frustrated I got the more amusement he got of it – and he continued to follow me. He would be there at my home each morning then follow me when I walked to work.
“Everyone should be able to feel that they are safe from risk of harm and he took that away from me.”
She added that the fear of Mr Mohammed caused her to have panic attacks, nightmares and severe anxiety.
“I had no happiness in my life as there was no light at the end of the tunnel”, she said.
Mr Mohammed, a car wash worker, was convicted stalking involving serious alarm and distress. and faces a prison sentence.
He is appealing the conviction and claimed that it was a “coincidence” that the two kept meeting.
Speaking through a Kurdish-Surani interpreter, he said: “This girl has invited me to her house every night or three times a week at least.
“She said she wanted me to follow her and I did not want to. I’ve done nothing wrong. Even if I did take flowers to her, what’s wrong with that?
“I did not follow her, she has been following me. I think she was obsessed with me. She called me so many times.”
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He alleged that he had been abused online as a result of the pictures she posted and that he wanted “justice”, adding: “You have never met a person as truthful as I am.”
The case is adjourned pending the appeal hearing.
