A MAN has been sentenced to 16-weeks in jail for stalking his estranged wife by using GPS trackers.

Steven Brown, of Kingswood, Surrey pleaded guilty to stalking his estranged wife and her new partner when he appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court last month.

The 51-year-old had followed the pair over a three month period from November 2015.

The court heard how Brown placed two GPS trackers on his wife’s car and another on her partner’s vehicle, as well as hiring two private investigators to follow and take photographs of the pair, one of which lives in Basingstoke.

Yesterday he was sentenced to a 16-weeks in prison, which was suspended for two years. He was also given a restraining order for four years and ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work.

Police Staff Investigator Samantha Nol said: “The actions of Steven Brown had a profound impact on the everyday lives of his victims, leaving them feeling paranoid and in fear of who might be watching them.

“They were subjected to several months of stalking, not only via text messages and calls, but also by having their cars tracked by GPS devices.

“No one has the right to make anyone feel vulnerable and scared and our team worked tirelessly to ensure the person responsible was brought to justice.”

She added: “This was a complex investigation due to the technical examinations of the electronic devices and involved other specialised departments to help compile data to ensure we had enough evidence to link Steve Brown to the offences.

“Despite the challenges we faced, we were able to build such a strong case based on indisputable evidence that he had no choice but to plead guilty.”

Hampshire Constabulary has developed the first multi-agency stalking clinic to review cases of stalking as they are reported. This has been recognised as best practice by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

This is one of the cases which benefitted from going through the clinic, offering victims support and advice throughout their ordeal.

Police, probation, the CPS, mental health professionals and, vitally, a dedicated victim advocate work together each month to review the most high risk or most complex cases and ensure everything possible is being done to stop the behaviour and keep the victim safe.

PSI Nol added: “I hope this case clearly shows how seriously Hampshire Constabulary takes reports of this nature and that we will do everything we can to help and support victims.

“Hampshire Constabulary is leading the way nationally in our approach to investigating stalking and this case is proof of how effective we can be.

“We would not have been able to get this result had it not been for the bravery of the victims who felt able to come to us and put their trust in us during what was a very difficult time for them, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for that.”

As well as carrying out 200 hours of unpaid work, the magistrate told Brown he must complete a 15 day "Building Better Relationships" probation course and pay £620 in court courts and a £115 victim surcharge.