A homeless man has been jailed for stalking an Ipswich waitress.
41-year-old Piotr Krzeslak, of no fixed abode, was convicted of stalking following a trial at Ipswich Crown Court.
He had approached the woman on several occasions in January last year and the prosecution alleged that he loitered outside her workplace, made a sexual remark towards her and left gifts including chocolates.
Krzeslak moved to the UK from Poland in 2005 and had been sleeping rough in the town after losing his job in 2022.
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A personal statement from the victim, which was read out in court, said: "I have tried to put into words how I have been feeling, but I don't know if this even comes close.
"It's so difficult to even get the emotion across. I struggle to even find the words.
"I have put on a brave face, said my part, but I feel that no one will ever truly understand until they have lived through something like this. It's life changing.
"I have done this because I want to make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone else ever again, and this has been my motivation all along."
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During the trial, he denied making any threats and told the jury he had not intended to frighten the woman, but the jury returned unanimous verdicts, finding him guilty of stalking.
He was cleared of making threats to kill.
Krzeslak was handed a three year prison sentence and was made the subject of a five-year restraining order.
Following the sentencing, investigating officer DC Natalie Cole said: "Stalking is a serious and distressing crime which can escalate into dangerous and destructive behaviour.
"I would like to commend the bravery of the victim for coming forward and for her resilience throughout the process."
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