MANSFIELD MAN JAILED FOR 18 MONTHS FOR ONLINE STALKING AND HARASSMENT
A Nottinghamshire man, Robert Carlin, aged 43, from Wharmby Avenue, Mansfield, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for stalking and harassment.The court heard how Carlin had previously been jailed multiple times for harassing the same victim.
Despite having served a 14-month sentence, he resumed his obsessive behaviour, creating fake social media accounts to send threatening and disparaging comments about his long-term victim.
Between January 9 and March 18 of the current year, Carlin uploaded photos of the woman on an anonymous Facebook account and made threats directly to her on Instagram using another fake account.
His online campaign included posting negative content about her, making her address public, and warning threats like 'I know where you live and I’ll be seeing you face to face soon' and 'once I’ve done with you, that face will need a plastic bag to cover it.' The police investigations confirmed these accounts were created with email addresses registered to him.
His actions breached an existing indefinite restraining order, and he pleaded guilty to stalking involving fear of violence and breaching the restraining order.
PC Charlotte Kieme commented on his behaviour, stating, 'Carlin will have been thoroughly aware of the pain his words would cause and that contacting his victim in the way he did would breach a restraining order, but he went ahead and did it anyway.' She expressed her satisfaction that Carlin was returned to prison, emphasizing that stalking can take many forms beyond physical following, including online harassment that significantly impacts victims’ lives.
Authorities encourage victims to contact police via 101 or 999 in emergencies, reinforcing the importance of reporting stalking and harassment.
