A 50-year-old man has been jailed for 21 weeks after terrorising his neighbours with racial abuse and stalking for over a year. Gary West, from Carden Road near Dick Lane, Bradford, unleashed a vile campaign starting September 2024, turning his community upside down.
Twisted Harassment Tactics Uncovered
The court heard West’s shocking harassment included cutting off electricity and water to his victims’ flat and sabotaging their door by stuffing glue in the keyhole. His nasty vendetta worsened after neighbours reported him to the police.
“The offending escalated and the indictment begins in September 2024 and runs for about a year,” Recorder Simon Kealey KC told West via prison video link.
In a sickening racial taunt, West left bacon outside a couple’s home and scrawled racial slurs on a fire exit sign. When police were called, they had to break into his flat to make an arrest.
Guilty Plea Spares Victims Court Trauma
West pleaded guilty to racially aggravated stalking earlier this month, saving his victims the ordeal of giving evidence in Crown Court. The judge branded the behaviour “a serious piece of offending over a long period.”
West’s hateful campaign also involved threats, racial abuse, and sending offensive items through letterboxes.
Five-Year Restraining Order and Forced Move
Recorder Kealey imposed a five-year restraining order barring West from contacting his victims. West will also have to move away from Tyersal, Bradford, once he’s released from prison.
This sentence sends a strong signal: racial hatred and stalking will not be tolerated in our communities.
