A man who stalked and harassed the British tennis star Emma Raducanu has been given a five-year restraining order and sentenced to community service.
Amrit Magar, 35, who said he had walked 23 miles to the US Open champion’s home in London and then took her father’s shoe – thinking it belonged to Raducanu – as a souvenir, was found guilty of stalking at Bromley magistrates court last month.
Magar, from Harrow in north-east London, turned up at the property on three separate occasions between 1 November and 4 December last year, the court heard.
He loitered outside, left unwanted gifts and cards and stole items from the porch. A bouquet of flowers he left included a note that read: “Nothing to say but you deserve love.” There was also a self-drawn map to show the “23 miles” he had walked from his home.
Magar was arrested after Raducanu’s father, Ian, was alerted by a doorbell camera, finding his trainer had been stolen from the porch.
In a statement to the court, Raducanu, 19, said the ordeal had left her feeling afraid to go out alone. “Since all this has happened I have felt creeped out. I feel very apprehensive if I go out, especially if I am on my own,” the British No 1 said in a statement reported by the Mail.
“Because of this I feel like my freedom has been taken away from me. I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I feel on edge and worried this could happen again. I don’t feel safe in my own home, which is where I should feel safest.”
Magar found her address by travelling to the London suburb where she lives with her parents and asking people for directions.
On his last visit to the property in early December, he decorated a tree in the front garden with Christmas lights. He was caught by Raducanu’s father, who recognised Magar from previous visits and followed him by car while calling the police.
The tennis player told police: “I want to move to a new house with better security because I am worried he might come back as he knows where my home is.”
Magar was given a five-year restraining order and an 18-month community order, including 200 hours of unpaid work and an eight-week curfew between 9pm and 6am monitored by an electronic tag.
