Neil Wilby Media

A stalker, who befriended a woman then bombarded her with up to 450 calls and messages a day, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Darryl Benn, 31, from Sycamore Walk, Pudsey, became known to the woman in 2015 after they met at a shop in Leeds city centre and had a conversation about a shared interest.

He then went on to harass and stalk her for the next eight years, sending up to 150 WhatsApp messages and 300 phone calls a day.

These became increasingly sexualised and threatening in nature, with Benn repeatedly asking the woman to send explicit images and threatening to harm her if she blocked him.

Benn also sent explicit images of himself to the victim, took pictures of her in the city centre and created indecent AI-generated images.  

Benn was arrested in September, 2024 and pleaded guilty to stalking involving fear of violence as well as sending a threatening communication and sending indecent images.

Yesterday (26th February, 2025) he appeared at Leeds Crown Court where he was sentenced to four years in prison. He was also given a lifetime restraining order.

The victim in this case said: “I feel relieved that I finally have a voice, and I am being listened to, but the prolonged trauma and constant degrading words towards me has really taken a toll on my mental health.

“I hope now I can start to rebuild my life in peace, building my confidence and having freedom to go where I want, wear what I want and do what I want, without the worry of someone following me.”

Investigating the case, DC Ellie Blacklock from Leeds CID said:

“This was a prolonged and relentless campaign of abuse which saw the victim subjected to eight years of trauma caused by somebody she simply met in a shop.

“The offending became increasingly disturbing, culminating in the victim receiving more than 11,000 messages in the space of three weeks.

“I want to praise her for her strength and courage in coming forward to report it.

“This case demonstrates the huge lasting harm caused by non-contact sexual offences and I would urge any victims to please come forward to report them to us. We have specialist teams who will work with you to support you through the process.

“Women and girls should be able to go about their daily lives free from the fear of harassment and we are committed to creating an environment where they can feel safe.”  

DC Blacklock failed to explain why the victim suffered such harm, for such a very long period of time, before the stalker was arrested and prosecuted.

Nevertheless, victims of any stalking or sexual offences, recent or not, are urged to contact West Yorkshire Police online at https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/LiveChat or by calling 101 so we can investigate.  

Alternatively, call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.  

If you or somebody you know is being stalked, you can also find more information about where to access support here.

Follow Neil Wilby on Twitter (here) for signposts to any updates to this article.

Page last updated: Thursday 27th February, 2025 at 11h35

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