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Zoe Saldana | Sexuality
A BUSINESSMAN who stalked and threatened to throw acid in the face of a former Love Island contestant has been jailed.
Duncan Friend, 51, fell for Tyla Carr at a party before showering her with Jimmy Choo designer shoes and a bag from Selfridges.
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But when she said she couldn’t get the dad-of-two tickets to a film premiere in London, he demanded she return the gifts to him.
The mum-of-one agreed, but Friend wanted them returned quicker than she was prepared to do it.
And when Ms Carr – who appeared in the third season of Love Island – refused to send him her address, Friend began a horrifying stalking campaign.
The court heard how the pair met on December 30 last year, before meeting for a second time on January 25.
Prosecutor Trevor Wright said: “It was his birthday and she was in London. She was looking at this as a friendship.
“Whilst in London they went to Selfridges and he bought her a bag, two pairs of shoes and a scarf.”
If you have a stalker, call the Suzy Lamplugh Trust on 0808 802 0300. Call 999 if you are in immediate danger
When Friend didn’t get movie tickets from Ms Carr, he bombarded her with 40 calls and texts on several different numbers, many of which were withheld.
The construction company boss, from Sittingbourne, Kent, claimed the 30-year-old was slow returning the items because she told him she had cancer.
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He ended up driving to her pal’s house in Chatham, Kent, armed with a machete, which he waved about threatening to throw acid in Ms Carr’s face and kill her.
The horror was caught on CCTV before he was arrested and granted bail on the condition he did not contact her.
But on February 16, Ms Carr received a number of texts, some of which contained details of a planned holiday with family and friends in Mexico.
One threatened it was going to “kick off” at her birthday bash in London, forcing her to change the venue.
He was re-arrested and had been held in custody until sentencing.
Judge Recorder Edmund Fowler told him: “It became clear that your positions became ever more polarised… and eventually your demands became intensified and ever more overbearing.”
His barrister Lawrence Selby told the judge Ms Carr’s claim to have cancer “touched a particularly raw nerve” as his family had a history of the disease.
Ms Carr was present in the court building expecting to give evidence, but left before sentencing was passed without commenting.
Friend admitted possession of an offensive weapon and was jailed for 27 months.
Upon his release from custody, Friend will be subject to a seven-year restraining order.
Investigator for the Vulnerable Investigation Team, Holly Felstead, said: “Duncan Friend subjected his victim to relentless harassment and intimidation and his actions have impacted deeply on her daily life.
“Friend has caused a huge amount of distress, fear and anxiety not only to the victim but to her friends and family.
“We are grateful that the victim has shown tremendous courage in coming forward and helping us secure this important sentence.”
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