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A stalker who sent his former girlfriend a barrage of threatening messages before setting her car on fire has been jailed for three years.
Liviu Groparu, 38, from Peveral Road, Cambridge, led the victim to believe she was being targeted by someone else known to her.
The victim started receiving threatening messages from numerous unknown phone numbers and Facebook accounts just days after her relationship with Groparu ended in November 2022.
In one message, the perpetrator said they was now free “to do what they want” to victim as she was no longer in a relationship.
Her parents also received an anonymous message which contained abusive words towards their daughter.
The victim continued to receive calls and messages from who she believed, could be from a previous partner from years back.
Meanwhile, Groparu also told her he too was also receiving threatening messages.
He also called the victim’s parents to tell them he was afraid for their daughter, saying something bad might happen to her due to “these dangerous people”.
On 8 December, at about 5.30pm, while the victim was at home, she received a message telling her to go outside as there was a surprise for her.
At about the same time, Groparu called the victim asking if anything had happened to her or her car, as he claimed he had received a message which said: “your princess has a surprise on her car”.
When she went outside, she saw a handwritten note on the windscreen and her tyres had been slashed.
A couple of days later at about 8.30am, the victim received another message from a number she didn’t recognise, stating she had destroyed Groparu’s life.
The message added the tyre incident was “a warning” and threatened to burn her “without hesitation” if she went to the police.
The victim’s parents also received another message suggesting their daughter would be “mutilated for life” and “no one would love her anymore”.
Later that day, while she was at a friend’s house, the victim’s brother called her to say he had received a message from an unknown person telling him that his sister’s car was on fire.
The victim ran outside and was left reeling in shock when she saw firefighters tackling flames coming from her car at a nearby carpark.
Groparu then called her to ask her what was going on and told he wanted to see her and, despite telling him no, he turned up, insisting on waiting with her until the police arrived.
Following the arson attack and campaign of harassment, officers took the victim to an undisclosed safe place.
However, their investigations revealed that Groparu was the perpetrator, having traced all the calls and messages back to him.
Groparu denied the charges of two counts of stalking, arson and criminal damage, but was found guilty of all counts following a trial earlier this year.
On Wednesday (13 March) at Huntingdon Law Courts, Groparu was sentenced to three years in prison and handed a five-year restraining order.
Detective Sergeant Kenny Reeves said: "Groparu’s actions left his victim feeling frightened and it was a traumatic experience for her and her family to go through.
“Groparu manipulated the victim so he could persistently stalk and harass her and believed this would enable him to frighten her into rekindling the relationship. Stalking can be a terrifying experience and leave victims feeling isolated and frightened.
“This case highlights that stalking isn’t a one-off crime and often includes a series of incidents which, when taken in isolation may seem trivial, but when put together can be very scary.
“We would encourage anyone who fears they may be being stalked or harassed to get in touch. We’re here for victims 24/7 and will support them, as well as do all we can to bring offenders to justice.”
Find out more information and advice on stalking and harassment.