Raed Khirfan believed that a relationship was formed with the woman after he became friends with her while working in a Ferryhill pizza shop. The 38-year-old then started bombarding her with messages – despite the fact that she had children and was in a stable relationship. Despite talking to the police, Khirfan started texting her again – some of which referred to the wedding – and even went to the doctor’s office. The Durham Crown Court heard that his behavior had a significant impact on the woman, who was left severely distressed. On Friday, Khirfan, from Cheapside, Spennymoor, appeared in court via a link from HMP Durham to be convicted of prosecution. It required an interpreter throughout the process. Read more: Uninsured unlicensed driver in Northumberland admits killing 17-year-old passenger by driving recklessly Prosecuting Jonathan Walker said Kirfan “talked” with the woman between August and December last year. Then he started sending her many messages and even said that they should get married. The woman soon became concerned and contacted police in April this year, complaining that Khirfan was harassing her. He was then referred to a program to address his behavior. Mr. Walker said the messages then stopped, but were repeated a few weeks later, with Khirfan sending her photos of a wedding dress, favorite hearts, and telling her he loved her. The woman also believed that he was watching her when she was with her children and in her garden. She even showed up at one of her GP appointments, the court said. Mr Walker said: “In May, a friend of the complainant urged the accused to stop approaching her on the street and there was something of a confrontation. The accused acted in a mildly aggressive manner.” After the clash, Khirfan reported to police again and was arrested. In a statement to the victim, the woman said she was already struggling with her mental health, but Khirfan’s behavior angered her and the stress medication had to be increased. She added that she no longer feels safe at home and feels “uncomfortable and physically ill”. Defendant Emma Williams said: “The accused and the complainant worked together and started a friendship, he believed that a relationship was being formed between them. This stopped when he was arrested in April and cut off contact initially. “He was upset with the dissolution of this friendship – a relationship in his mind. He foolishly believed this third part and decided to contact her.” He added: “Now he accepts that he did not want this contact and says that he is very sorry and wants to apologize. He is ashamed of his actions. His whole family lives in Jordan and has a small child. His family does not know that she he is currently in custody. “ Condemning Khirfan, Judge Ray Singh said that “for no apparent reason did you confuse the complainant” and bombarded her with messages. Khirfan was imprisoned for 10 months and imposed a 10-year restrictive decision – a ban on contact with the woman. Read below: The sex education lesson at school made the Sunderland girl realize that she had been abused years earlier Driver who killed Sunderland’s mom returns to court after leaving jail
