A man convicted of stalking British tennis star Emma Raducanu and leaving her creepy messages has avoided jail time.
Amrit Magar, 35, walked free from Bromley Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after being found guilty of visiting the 19-year-old US Open champion's home three times and leaving unsettling notes.
Instead, he was slapped with an 18-month community order and a five-year restraining order, while he was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and stick to an eight-week curfew between 9pm and 6am.
Magar, who took one of the tennis star's father's shoes as a "souvenir" on his final visit to the house, is also banned from attending any venues where she is either competing or training, and had to pay £500 in costs and a £95 victim surcharge.
The 35-year-old wore headphones while in the dock throughout the hearing, while a victim statement from Raducanu was read out in court.
"Since all this has happened, I have felt creeped out," she said. "I feel very apprehensive if I go out, especially if I am on my own.
"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.
"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."
Raducanu's family also said that they are worried that "copycat offences" could take place in the future, with her father Ian admitting the case had helped them realise "how exposed they are".
Sentencing Magar, District Judge Sushil Kumar said there had been "some degree of planning" to his crime, as he had walked for 23 miles from his own address to Raducanu's home.
"But I accept that on the first occasion you went to Bromley you were unaware of where she lived so there was not a great deal of planning," he added.
Former Amazon delivery driver Magar had travelled to the Raducanu family home in south east London after taking an interest her while watching her play on television – even asking a stranger for directions on the way.
For his first visit, in November, he arrived with a bouquet of flowers and a note reading: "Nothing to say, but you deserve love."
It was signed with his own name, as well as those of his wife Brina and dog Logan.
After being confronted by Emma's parents he told them he was a delivery driver dropping the gifts from someone else, but that would not be the last time he would end up on their doorstep.
The following month he returned, posting a red envelope through the letterbox which contained a hand-drawn map of the 23-mile journey he had taken on foot from north London to the house.
His third and final visit came on December 4, when he hung Christmas decorations on a tree in the garden and posted batteries through the letterbox.
Magar later left – after swiping a trainer from the porch which he believed to belong to the tennis star – but he had been spotted and recognised by Ian Raducanu.
"I received a notification on my phone from the Nest doorbell. It said someone was at the front of the house," the US Open champion's father said.
"I went outside and could see a male stood on the pavement. He began running away."
He followed Magar to a nearby bus stop, where he called the police.
Mitigating, Seval Dunn said in his client's defence: "[Magar] appears to me to be a fairly mild-mannered man.
"He has assured me nothing of this nature will ever happen again. He assured me he did not wish for Miss Raducanu to suffer in the way she describes suffering."
Meanwhile, Raducanu is said to be looking for a more secure place to live in the capital so she can once again feel safe at home.
