Online dating horror: Stalker jailed after relentless pursuit of online dating app match

A student who relentlessly stalked a man she met on a dating app managed to pry so deep into his life she uncovered a chillingly detailed stash of information, a court has heard.

A Brisbane student who expertly stalked a man she met on a dating app has been released from jail after inflicting months of horror on him and his family.

Janani Ganesathurai pleaded guilty to threatening to murder and relentlessly stalking the man and his mother last year.

Convicted stalker Janani Ganesathurai fronted Ipswich District Court on Thursday, May 19, and was granted parole after spending seven months and 25 days in jail.

An Ipswich court heard the amount of knowledge the 26-year-old had on the pair and extent of her stalking was excessive, sophisticated, and unnerving.

During the young mum’s sentence, Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren SC said Ganesathurai’s prolonged stalking between July and September 2021, had a devastating and lasting effect on her victims.

“You stalked the male at home and at work. The content… and the statements made, inferences made, were quite despicable,” he said.

“You were able to demonstrate detailed knowledge of his movements, associations, the accuracy of the information and threats understandably had profound effects.

“You made many threats including murder.

“You hacked his social media and betting accounts.”

Judge Horneman-Wren SC said Ganesathurai used fake phone numbers and emails, and pretended to be a number of authorities including police and the Ipswich Courthouse.

Barrister Cecelia Bernardin said spending time in jail was hard for Ganesathurai and she was now suffering from nightmares.

Mr Bernardin noted a mental health assessment was conducted since the offending and came back with indications of personality and bipolar disorder.

The court heard the business student planned to teach English in Sri Lanka and was currently living with and caring for her grandmother who often visited her in jail.

Convicted stalker Janani Ganesathurai fronted Ipswich District Court on Thursday, May 19, and was granted parole after spending seven months and 25 days in jail.

On Thursday, May 19, Ganesathurai pleaded guilty to unlawful stalking with violence, threatening to murder via an online document (DV), unlawful stalking (DV), using a carriage service to menace or harass, making false declarations, and assuming the name of an officer with the intent to mislead.

Judge Horneman-Wren SC said he would take into consideration the seven months and 25 days Ganesathurai spent in pre-sentence custody, her age, remorse, mental health, unstable childhood, and past alcoholism.

Ganesathurai’s pre-sentence custody was declared as time served, and she was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years years and granted immediate parole.