LONDON: A man who was found guilty of stalking US Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu was given a five-year restraining order on Wednesday.
Amrit Magar, a 35-year-old former delivery driver from London, also was sentenced to an 18-month community service order that includes 200 hours of unpaid work. He will be under curfew for eight weeks and monitored by an electronic tag.
Magar went to the 19-year-old Raducanu’s home on three separate dates late last year, loitered outside, left unwanted gifts and cards, and stole property from the porch, a trial heard last month. On one occasion, he decorated a tree in the front garden with Christmas lights.
He also left a bouquet of flowers with a personal note. Another time, he drew a map to show the 23 miles (37 kilometers) he had walked from his home.
Magar was arrested after Raducanu's father was alerted by a doorbell camera, finding his shoe had been taken from the porch. He was found guilty at the trial at Bromley Magistrates’ Court.
Raducanu shot to fame last year by winning the U.S. Open as a qualifier in September, for one of the most unlikely sporting achievements of all time. Two months earlier, she had reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, also as a qualifier.
The trial heard that Magar told police officers he had been drawn to Raducanu “because of her high-profile status after her victory in the U.S. Open” and had taken the shoe believing it belonged to her as a “souvenir."
The order bans Magar from contacting Raducanu or her parents, coming within a mile of their street and attending any sports ground, stadium or training facility where she is in competition or attending to practice.