Adam Monks, a 24-year-old barman, was sentenced last week for stalking his ex-boyfriend, marking his fifth offence in four years. As in previous cases, he was spared jail. Each of Monks' crimes has been against a different man, including three stalking cases, one harassment, and one voyeurism offence.
When he began his latest stalking campaign, Monks was already on a suspended sentence for voyeurism. However, Llanelli magistrates' court decided not to activate the sentence and instead imposed a community order. His latest victim, 41-year-old Allan Turnbull, feels let down by the outcome.
Victim's Ordeal
Turnbull, who reported the stalking and provided evidence, said: "I did everything right. I reported it, I kept the evidence, I gave statements, I trusted the system, and the man who stalked me walked out of court with a community order... It doesn't come close to matching what stalking actually does to a person."
He described the fear, sleeplessness, and sense of nowhere being safe, adding: "When the courts treat it this lightly, the message to victims is that it isn't worth coming forward, and the message to offenders is that there's little to fear."
Turnbull met Monks in March at a Cardiff pub and they quickly hit it off. After a Mediterranean cruise together, Monks moved into Turnbull's home near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire. However, Turnbull noticed "red flags" in Monks' behaviour, including a volatile temper.
Stalking Campaign
After Turnbull ended the relationship, Monks refused to leave and later exploded in anger during a car ride, leading to police involvement. From June, Monks began stalking Turnbull, sending over 600 messages in one day and setting up fake dating app accounts. Turnbull bought a new phone due to the incessant contact.
On July 10, Monks manipulated a friend to engineer a meeting in Swansea, where he grabbed Turnbull on the street. Monks was charged with assault and stalking, but the assault charge was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service, which reasoned it would make no difference to the sentence.
Lenient Sentence
At sentencing, Monks received an 18-month community order with 26 rehabilitation sessions, an alcohol abstinence requirement, and a tag to monitor intake. He also received an 18-month restraining order barring contact with Turnbull. Turnbull called it "bonkers" that magistrates did not activate the existing suspended sentence.
Monks had previously received a suspended sentence in 2025 for stalking two men in Swansea and a community order in 2023 for harassing a man in Caerphilly. Turnbull said: "The system is clearly working to ease pressure on the prison services versus protecting victims and deterring stalkers."
The UK has around 86,500 prisoners, about 5,000 more than can be held safely, which has affected sentencing guidelines. Turnbull said he is speaking out so others don't feel let down: "I don't want anyone else to go through what I did and then feel let down by the system at the very end of it."
