Rugby player convicted of stalking teenage newspaper-delivery girl

A rugby player convicted of a stalking charge after he approached a teenage newspaper delivery girl on three separate occasions escaped custody today.

Tristan Edward Lloyd was given a 12 month community order - he must also observe a six week curfew between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Lloyd was ordered to pay his victim £250 for the psychological trauma he caused her – together with £620 costs to the prosecution. An indefinite restraining order was made under which he is not contact, approach or follow the girl.

Flintshire magistrates’ court at Mold heard how the girl aged 14, had been traumatised by what had happened and had to give up her morning job.

Lloyd, 23, formerly of Northop but now of White Horse Barn in Trelogan, Holywell, denied that between December 2013 and July last year that he caused the girl distress by stalking her.

He was convicted but magistrates heard that he wished to appeal against the conviction.

At an earlier hearing, the girl, who was able to take down the registration number of his white Ford Fiesta on one occasion and went on to pick him out during an identification procedure, gave her evidence from behind a screen.

She told how it was dark one morning in December 2013 when she heard footsteps behind her.

The school girl said that she turned around and saw a man walking behind her.

She carried on walking, the footsteps got closer and the defendant walked along side her.

He struck up a conversation and asked her “do you mind if I walk with you?”

The girl told him that she did mind but he said he would walk with her anyway and continued to do so and waited outside houses as she delivered the morning newspapers.

Two similar incidents followed and the court was told after the third she had given the job up because she was so scared.

Lloyd denied that he was involved and said that it was a case of false identification.