'I became a prisoner in my own home - I would check every cupboard'

A predatory stalker subjected a complete stranger to a campaign of terror in a shocking case which a judge likened to a Hollywood film.

Shuaib Muhammad began targeting the woman shortly after his release from prison on licence for stalking another woman.

The victim first became aware of the situation when she received a handwritten note through her door, asking her to call a number regarding a parcel. Newcastle Crown Court heard that she found this odd as she wasn't expecting any deliveries and chose to ignore it, reports Chronicle Live.

A few weeks later, she noticed two of four latches on her kitchen window were missing and replaced them. One evening around 9pm, while letting her dog out, she discovered a man lurking in her garden.

When two more latches from her kitchen window were removed, she began to panic. Muhammad continued to appear at her home, peering inside and reaching in through a partially opened window attempting to undo the latch from the inside.

She installed a camera at her property and discovered the window pane had been painted white to obscure the camera's view. The court heard that Muhammad's campaign of terror persisted, with what was described as 'predatory stalking behaviour', where he was seen tracking the woman and stalking her on multiple occasions.

An image of Muhammad, 33, of Marshall Wallis Road, South Shields, was circulated to the police and he was identified by his risk management officer, leading to his arrest. Officers found at his residence a photo of the victim which matched her WhatsApp profile picture and which he had saved to his phone.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she has been left anxious, fearful and paranoid. She added: "I became a prisoner in my own home. I