Alex Udell, 44, of Woodhorn Drive, Stakeford, Northumberland, has been jailed for 38 months after subjecting a woman he met while she was walking her dog to a terrifying and bizarre campaign of stalking. The woman was repeatedly falsely accused of having an affair with Udell by him and his partner.
Campaign of harassment
Newcastle Crown Court heard that Udell would turn up at the woman's home and place of work, tell people he was in a relationship with her, and claim to have indecent images of her. He also harassed her father with calls and texts after obtaining his number from the side of his work van.
The victim first encountered Udell while dog walking in early 2024. Prosecutor Imogen Eastham-Brown said: "She said he became fixated on her and made multiple attempts to try to engage in a relationship with her, telling others they were in a relationship when they were not."
Escalating behavior
Udell asked for the woman's phone number but was refused. She gave him a lift to pick up a parcel, and they met a few more times. On March 19, Udell arrived at her home while she was in the shower. Her mother answered the door, and Udell became insistent, putting his foot in the door to prevent it from closing. The victim wrote his number down to pacify him.
On May 25, Udell returned with his partner, both abusive and threatening, falsely accusing the victim of having an affair. They left but returned half an hour later. The victim's father and boyfriend went to Udell's home, but Udell refused to come to the door. His partner claimed she had seen Udell and the victim kissing on a school field, which the court heard was untrue.
Impact on the victim
The victim avoided areas where she might encounter Udell and was scared to leave her house. Udell began texting and calling her father over 30 times, being abusive and threatening. He also attended her workplace, leading her to move to a store in a different area for safety. On one occasion, Udell threatened to get his family from Berwick to "sort the situation out," which was taken as a threat of violence.
On July 21, Udell and his partner went to the victim's home at 5am and 7.30am, intoxicated, shouting they would report her to the police for indecent images of herself. The victim said she found his behavior extremely frightening and feels like a prisoner in her own home.
Previous convictions and sentence
Udell has 12 previous convictions, including false imprisonment and sexual assault in 2020, for which he was jailed for four years. He also has convictions for harassment, having a bladed article, racially aggravated harassment, and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. He pleaded guilty to stalking involving serious alarm or distress and two counts of harassment. For these offences and breaching a suspended sentence, he was jailed for 38 months and given a five-year restraining order.
The court heard Udell has a mental disorder, a difficult background, and was described as vulnerable. He blamed potential autism and said he had little memory of the offences due to alcohol and drug use. He was said to have "some remorse."
