A student who became obsessed with a woman after a first date left her being physically sick and afraid to leave the house.
Kaichen Ma, 21, tried to contact his victim on 44 different phone numbers after she repeatedly blocked him.
He sent her prejudicial messages about her Muslim faith and even had a kilo of pork delivered to her accommodation.
Obsessed Ma would turn up uninvited to lectures she was attending at Durham University and bought her unwanted gifts addressed to ‘the love of my life’ including a Pandora ring, cards and a plane ticket to China.
The victim was left frightened to leave her student accommodation unescorted, suffered mental breakdowns and missed two weeks of her studies through fears she may come into contact with the defendant.
Kaichen Ma, 21, pictured, tried to contact his victim on 44 different phone numbers after she repeatedly blocked him. He sent her prejudicial messages about her Muslim faith and even had a kilo of pork delivered to her accommodation
Despite being arrested and told to keep away from her, Ma ignored the bail condition and continued his stalking campaign while also trying to persuade her not to proceed with criminal proceedings for harassment.
But after approaching her in the street when she returned to Durham to resume her course, he was arrested again and has remained on remand in custody since.
The defendant, of Tolleshunt Knights in Maldon, Essex, admitted charges of stalking and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Imposing a total 28-month prison sentence, Judge James Adkin said Ma would serve half in custody and should then be deported.
He also gave Ma a restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting or approaching the victim for 15 years.
Judge Adkin said there were ‘disturbing traits’ over his actions.
He said Ma’s ‘obsessive, persistent’ behaviour had a great impact on the victim and continued despite the bail condition not to contact her.
The pair met at a nightclub on September 30 and exchanged contact details, before a date was arranged a few days later.
Obsessed Ma would turn up uninvited to lectures she was attending at Durham University and bought her unwanted gifts addressed to ‘the love of my life’ including a Pandora ring, cards and a plane ticket to in China
After eating at a Turkish restaurant and going to the cinema, Ma tried to kiss the woman and touch her arm as he was walking her home.
She tried to explain she was not interested and that he was being too forward with her.
But he could not handle rejection and over following days sent her numerous messages.
Matthew Bean, prosecuting, told Durham Crown Court that despite being repeatedly blocked by her, he would send her further messages using multiple different numbers, and turned up at her lectures, even though he was not on the same course.
He bought a ticket to a winter ball she was attending with friends on November 27, approaching her five times that night despite being told to leave her alone.
The prosecutor said she became exhausted with his persistence and in constant fear of what he may do next.
Following his initial arrest on December 1, Ma was bailed on condition that he did not contact or approach the woman.
But later in December he sent her further messages asking her to show mercy on him and urging her to drop the police complaint against him.
Imposing a total 28-month prison sentence, Judge James Adkin told Durham Crown Court (pictured) Ma would serve half in custody and should then be deported. He made Ma subject of a restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting or approaching the victim for 15 years
Further messages were sent in which he sought a bargain between them, describing it as, ‘a win-win solution’, suggesting a compromise so they could be, ‘casual friends, with benefits’.
He suggested she could join him on a visit to China, booking a flight ticket for her to Beijing.
But Mr Bean said there were other messages in which Ma made references to the Armenian genocide, knowing she was Turkish and of its historic sensitivity.
The Armenian genocide was a physical annihilation of the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian Christian population from 1915-16, in which as many as 1.2 million are thought to have been killed.
Ma offered to pay her a month of his salary when he was in work, so that the harassment complaint would not be pursued.
He also messaged the victim’s sister.
Other messages inferred he would commit suicide due to the court proceedings while some said that if she told police about the recent contact in breach of his bail condition, he ‘had a way to handle it’.
Having missed two weeks of university, when she did return to Durham in January her mother came with her due to the distress it was causing her.
Ma was arrested again after approaching the woman in the street on January 30 and he made no comment in his police interview.
In her impact statement, the victim said his harassment had caused her to have breakdowns, left her frightened to leave her room and made her physically sick on an almost nightly basis.
It also affected her studies and she struggled to sleep.
She has also sought counselling.
Katie Spence, in mitigation, said Ma went about the relationship and the rejection, ‘in all the wrong ways’, describing the defendant as, ‘socially immature’.
But she said the weeks he has spent in custody have made him realise that he ‘absolutely behaved improperly’.
She said it was his first taste of custody and he has been out of contact with his family, struggling with anxiety.
Miss Spence added that he was, ‘incredibly remorseful’ and would work with the Probation Service if any prison sentence was suspended.