A FISHGUARD man has gone on trial accused of stalking the owner of a beauty salon.
Frank Janiurek, 43, of Heol Glyndwr, appeared in the dock at Swansea Crown Court charged with stalking causing serious alarm or distress.
It was alleged that he stalked a woman in Cardigan between March and July 2022.
Opening the case, prosecutor Caitlin Brazel told the court that the defendant booked in for a facial treatment at the complainant’s beauty salon on March 8.
Following that, the defendant reportedly made repeated phone calls to the salon, “often asking questions he had already received answers to”, but also “making unnecessary conversation”.
Ms Brazel said that Janiurek would “walk past the salon on a daily basis”, despite not living or working in the town, and on top of the emails and phone calls.
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The complainant alleged that when she was out celebrating her birthday, she noticed Janiurek staring at her “for around 45 minutes”. This left her feeling “scared and uneasy”, Ms Brazel said.
Janiurek continued to send emails to the salon’s email address, before – the prosecution said – getting hold of the complainant’s personal email address and finding her on social media.
Ms Brazel said the complainant posted a picture on Instagram on May 24. She noticed an account named ‘Cara’ that she didn’t recognise had liked the picture.
“She was seriously alarmed and distressed that this account belonged to Frank Janiurek,” Ms Brazel said.
The profile picture of the account was one of Janiurek’s reflection taken in the salon window, the prosecutor told the jury.
The complainant told the defendant that the salon was not taking on new clients in an attempt to get him to stop, Ms Brazel said, and then told him that his contact was unwanted.
However, the defendant then made a complaint to the business, claiming he felt he “was being discriminated against”.
Ms Brazel said the complainant had become an “anxious, paranoid version of herself” as a result of Janiurek’s actions.
The complainant reported Janiurek to the police. He was arrested, and in his interview denied stalking – stating that he didn’t know his actions had caused the complainant serious alarm or distress.
The trial continues.
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