An Erdington man left a woman too scared to leave her own home during an eight-month stalking campaign, Birmingham Magistrates' Court has heard. Mahammed Younis, 21, of Slade Road, initially brought flowers and a gift bag to the victim's home in what his solicitor described as a 'little old fashioned' attempt to 'swoon' her into a relationship.
Stalking Campaign Details
The stalking began in March 2025 and continued until November 2025. Younis would park outside the woman's home, staring in a fixated manner, and play loud music until the early hours of the morning. Despite being asked to stop, the harassment escalated to WhatsApp messages where he told her, 'I'm your secret admirer.' In a single day, he sent 210 voicenotes. He also made numerous phone calls and on one occasion set off fireworks near her home.
The pair had attended the same school but were not friends and had never been in a relationship. Younis initially denied stalking involving serious alarm or distress but changed his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial.
Prosecution Evidence
Prosecuting, Mr Chervill stated: 'In April 2025, the complainant reported the defendant to the police because on April 1, he attended her address with flowers and a gift bag after she had been shopping. He continued to park outside her house and play loud music between 10pm and 2.30am. Then on July 14, this defendant started to message her on WhatsApp telling her that he was her secret admirer.' The prosecutor noted that the victim did not leave her home when Younis was 'around and about the property.'
The court heard that Younis made 27 phone calls on September 1, followed by 7 calls and 20 voicenotes on another day, 210 voicenotes on yet another, and 41 voicenotes and 11 calls on a separate date. The prosecutor described it as 'persistent action over a long period of time.'
Arrest and Defence
Younis was arrested after the victim reported him for loitering outside her home. During arrest, he denied contacting her, saying: 'I have done nothing wrong, to stalk someone you have to actually say something to someone.' The prosecutor added: 'She said he was staring at the home in a fixated way. On one occasion he was setting off fireworks near the property. She was fearful of leaving the property as she was intimidated by him. There had never been any relationship between them, this behaviour went over a period of some months.'
Younis had no previous convictions at the time but has since been convicted of criminal damage in a separate matter. His solicitor, Mr Whistance, said: 'He accepts his behaviour was wrong. This gentleman needs some work to do with him. He thought he could get into a relationship with her. They knew each other through school, they were never friends at school. He knows of her, no doubt, and she knows of him. He tried to swoon a young lady. He sends her a card and some flowers, in the hope that she is going to want to get into a relationship with him. It's a little old fashioned but the concerning factor is that, when she says 'no, I'm not interested', he doesn't stop.'
Sentence
Younis was handed a two-year community order and a restraining order for the same period. He must complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 100 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £250 prosecution costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
