A PERSISTENT stalker drained the emotions of his former girlfriend when he refused to accept their relationship was over, a court heard yesterday.

Yasser Iqbal, 27, hid in bushes, banged on his victim's door and sat outside her home and workplace, Bradford Crown Court was told.

Judge Mark Savill told Iqbal it must have been a terrible experience for the woman, who must have wondered when it was going to end.

Prosecutor Tom Storey said the defendant had been in a relationship with Kirsty Townend for three years, but Iqbal had become increasingly paranoid and suspicious of her, which developed to aggression and violence.

He was regularly verbally and physically abusive towards her.

Mr Storey said she reported a number of incidents to police and the defendant had been arrested on a number of occasions.

Miss Townend ended the relationship in June of last year but Iqbal did not take kindly to it.

He turned up where she was and at her place of work, followed her and hid in bushes. She moved home but he found out her new address and, over a period of days last November, he sat outside her home in a car and banged on her door.

The court heard that on one occasion she fled to her mother's house and was crying and visibly shaking when she arrived there.

Mr Storey said the victim had moved home for a second time in a bid to escape Iqbal's attentions.

He was arrested and bailed by police, but began following her again, despite bail conditions banning him from entering Bradford. On one occasion he drove past, beeping his horn and calling out to her.

He was arrested again in December and remanded in custody.

Iqbal, of Norman Grove, Eccleshill, Bradford, pleaded guilty to two charges of stalking.

In mitigation, his barrister, Gerald Hendron, said his client had learned his lesson and now accepted the relationship was over.

Judge Savill told Iqbal: "Your behaviour was persistent, frightening, and draining on her time, energy and emotions. She must have been consistently looking over her shoulder, hoping against hope you wouldn't be waiting for her somewhere."

Judge Savill said the case passed the custody threshold, but Iqbal had spent enough time in custody - giving him the opportunity to reflect and break the cycle of offending - for him to suspend the sentence.

Iqbal was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for 18 months, with 12 months probation supervision and a medium level activity.