Asad Hussain, also known as Ash, of Heald Green, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Monday (June 29) after being found guilty of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, assault by beating, and failure to provide a password to a device. The conviction followed a trial at Chester Crown Court where a jury heard chilling evidence of his campaign of terror.
How the stalking unfolded
Hussain met his victim on Tinder under the alias Mick Renney. The relationship turned controlling, with Hussain becoming jealous of her interactions with male friends and co-workers. After an incident where he took her phone and assaulted her, the relationship ended. By the end of June 2024, Hussain's attempts to reconcile were rebuffed.
Specialist stalking investigator PC Keith Terrill explained: "With rejected stalkers, in the first phase, their goal is to reconcile the relationship. It then moves to revenge."
On July 10, Hussain created a fake Tinder account using the victim's photos, pretending to be her. He began inviting men to her address. Initially, men were given her contact details and told to attend. By September, instructions escalated: men were told she was waiting inside, the front door was open, and they should let themselves in. On one occasion, a door panel was smashed.
"She is told by at least one man that he was told she wanted to engage in a ‘rape fantasy’ and if she said no, it meant she wanted it more and wanted to be roughed up," PC Terrill added.
Hussain's deceitful tactics
Hussain even messaged the victim pretending to be an invitee, writing: "You messaged me on Tinder and told me to call in - sent me your address and told me to walk in and see you naked in your house. You’re the one that is seemingly misleading people - I’ve got a good mind to report you, this is dodgy as."
By the time the victim reported the stalking to police in September 2024, around 30 different strangers had been invited to her home. All men left without incident, and many helped police with their investigation. But victims advocate Victoria Lowry said: "It is a miracle not one of these people did. They were willing to leave. But what if they hadn’t been, or had been a known offender?"
Police investigation and breakthrough
Police initially had little to go on: the name Mick Renney and a photo from the victim's doorbell camera. A car registration visible in the background led to Hussain's address. After police visited while he was out, Hussain discarded three pay-as-you-go mobile phones, which were never found. He was apprehended by Cumbria Police on the M6 in October, with a phone and iPad found in his van.
At interview, Hussain denied ever meeting the victim or visiting her home. When shown doorbell footage, he claimed he didn't know if it was him. He said his white Audi R8 V10 was part of a classic car rental service his business was trialling, but could not provide records. He refused to give pin codes, citing privacy concerns, and claimed he needed to consult business partners who later turned out to be non-existent.
Police made a breakthrough when one of the tricked men provided screenshots of the Tinder conversation. PC Terrill said: "We took them to Tinder, and they provided the account data from screenshots alone. All the men were incredibly helpful - it all started to come together because of that."
Analysis of Hussain's devices linked them to the same Apple account under the name Mick Renney, with a recovery email being Hussain's personal address. PC Terrill noted: "The physical phones were never found, and they were all unregistered. It was clear he was cyber-aware and was putting effort into frustrating any attempt to link him to it."
Sentencing and impact
Hussain maintained his innocence throughout the trial, but the jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning unanimous guilty verdicts for all three offences. He was sentenced to eight years, with an additional year for failing to provide the iPad password.
PC Terrill described Hussain as "highly fixated and very deceitful," adding: "Telling some of them to engage in a rape fantasy - you can make your own conclusions about what the intention was."
Victoria Lowry said: "It’s obsessive, it was a huge investment in time. He wanted her harmed and he didn’t have to approach her, he used other people. He wanted to see a reaction and to see her scared, alone and harmed. It was, if I can’t have you, nobody can."
Advice for potential victims
PC Terrill urged anyone fearing they might be in a similar situation to report it immediately. "The sooner it is reported, the sooner we can start gathering evidence and the sooner we can safeguard. Stalking cases do sometimes escalate. Here it could have become physical or even fatal violence. Don’t hesitate because you don’t think we can prove it. Everything leaves a trace in the digital world, a digital footprint."
