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A man has been jailed for nine years after stalking his former GP. David Taylor, 56, previously of Tarbolton Crescent, Hale has been handed an indefinite restraining order not to contact the doctor or her family after the judge deemed him to be a 'high-risk individual'. The stalking, which took place between August 2024 and March of this year, began when his behaviour at the practice became aggressive and alarming toward her. As a result of his behaviour, he was placed on the barred list for the practice. This prompted Taylor to find her business profile page and message her. Becoming increasingly scared by his behaviour, she blocked him - but he used another account to contact her, asking for his records to be transferred to his new GP. He continued to contact the GP and after being blocked again, turned his attention to making inappropriate comments on her business Facebook page. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE Events escalated frighteningly for the doctor when she arrived home from work on March 26. Minutes later, she was alerted by her Ring doorbell that someone was at the door. She answered it to find Taylor standing there in front of her. He said he wanted a word, and after her initial shock she shut the door, called her husband and 999. She had no idea how he had found out where she lived, according to Cheshire Police who said that the doctor was left in fear for herself and her family and no longer felt able to live her life normally. Taylor was arrested the following morning at his home address and police launched an investigation. On seizing his digital devices, officers discovered a catalogue of disturbing evidence that showed that Taylor had taken multiple visits to her home address in Knutsford and recorded the acts on his phone. CCTV and ANPR evidence showed that Taylor had followed the victim on numerous occasions, from her place of work to her home. The phone also revealed Taylor searching the primary school in which her child attends, as well as images of the victim and her children located on Taylor’s device. Taylor appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday (November 6) to be sentenced after pleading guilty to Stalking involving serious alarm or distress. He was sentenced to nine years in prison and handed an indefinite restraining order not to contact the victim and her family. The judge also granted a Dangerousness Assessment, highlighting Taylor being a high-risk individual. PC Morgan Eyre said: “Firstly, I want to acknowledge the victim and her family who have all been victims of Taylor’s actions. This case clearly demonstrates the wider impact stalking can have on victims and their families. “David Taylor is a highly obsessive and volatile stalker who has caused irreparable harm to the victim and her family. The investigation uncovered the extreme lengths Taylor went to in order to target the victim; loitering outside her work, following her home, and even researching where her children went to school. “The victim in this case was simply doing their job, providing care to members of the community with kindness and compassion. Her bravery throughout the investigation and court proceedings is truly commendable. “I am pleased the Judge has recognised the seriousness and impact of Taylor’s actions which has been reflected by the sentence handed to him today. The Judge noted that Taylor’s excuse of simply wanting his medical records transferred was not a plausible account and he would have known this was not the way to have gone about it. "Thanks to this, Taylor has been held accountable for his actions and is facing a spell behind bars. “The victim has been supported throughout this process by a Specialist Victim Advocate who has been an asset to her, and to the investigation.” DI Jude Edwards said: “Despite being obstructive throughout the investigation, whereby Taylor was unable to be interviewed because he was so aggressive and refused his phone PIN code, PC Morgan Eyre’s diligent investigation uncovered horrifying stalking behaviour which the defendant had filmed. "With excellent support from PC Callam Challener who gained the victims trust as the initial attending officer, the victim advocate who continued the victim support, Dan Berry, and Harriet Gruszka in Digital Forensics Unit who collated the digital evidence and Henry McDougall from Force Intelligence Bureau who presented the evidence for court in a sequence of events, Taylor could not deny the offences and pled guilty just a week before trial. "Even with a guilty plea, Taylor was handed one of the longest sentences in the country for stalking of nine years in custody, highlighting the risk he posed. This commitment by PC Eyre and the wider team is exemplary and just another example of how Cheshire Constabulary is committed to bringing safety and justice to victims every day."
