Canberra court hears public servant 'fixated' on alleged stalking victim

ACT public servant accused of stalking woman refused bail as judge says risk is 'too great' In short: An ACT public servant has been refused bail after he was accused of stalking and threatening a woman. The woman went to police in September after she became concerned about his alleged behaviour, and was advised to deactivate her social media accounts. What's next? The case will return to court in November. An ACT public servant accused of stalking a woman and threatening to use government systems to find out information about her has been refused bail. Suyash Sinha, 31, was arrested after a raid on his property yesterday, and today faced the ACT Magistrates Court. Seeking bail, Mr Sinha's lawyer told the court he plays a significant financial role in supporting family members both overseas and in Canberra, which would motivate him to comply with bail conditions to remain out of custody. But prosecutors opposed Mr Sinha's release, arguing he had a "fixation" on his alleged victim and there was a risk he could endanger her safety and interfere with evidence or with witnesses. "He's fixated on this person, and he's refused to accept 'no' as an answer to his advances," the prosecutor said. "The victim is terrified of the defendant. "She is suffering from PTSD symptoms." 'I told you, I'm not interested' Mr Sinha allegedly came across the woman on a dating app but, after he messaged her, she told him she was not interested in any form of relationship. Despite this, it is alleged he continued to message the woman and, in August, sent her a message describing what she was wearing — making her fearful she was being stalked. Police say, frustrated, she agreed to meet Mr Sinha at a pub. There, Mr Sinha allegedly told her he worked for the ACT government "in finance" and wanted to pursue a relationship. When she mentioned she had brothers, it is alleged Mr Sinha named one of them, telling her "anyone can be looked up through government systems". Despite allegedly saying to Mr Sinha, "I told you, I'm not interested", the woman continued to receive messages from him over the following months. It is alleged she would sometimes receive multiple friend requests in a day, including from accounts with "bizarre, intimidating and harassing" usernames including "will be seeing you soon …" and "I hate you so much, goodbye". The woman went to police in September, and was advised to deactivate her social media accounts. The court heard officers executed a search warrant on the man's home yesterday and seized a number of devices. Special Magistrate Wilson refused the man's bail application, telling him the allegations of his "intense" behaviour showed a "complete disregard for the rights, safety and issues of the complainant". "I appreciate you have interests in the community but I consider your risk to the safety to the health and wellbeing of the complainant is too great,"Special Magistrate Wilson said. The case will return to court next month.