Magistrate to stalker: ‘I’m surprised you’re still single’

The 26 year old from Mackay met his victim on a dating app and then harassed her for almost two years.

Mackay man Jack Henry Kerslake, 26, pleaded guilty to stalking a woman he met on a dating app after she rejected his advances.

A magistrate has blasted a Mackay stalker for his bizarre obsession after a woman he met on a dating app friendzoned him.

The 26 year old sent the woman hundreds of unwanted messages over various platforms begging for a relationship despite her repeated rejections.

"Ima (sic) probably chase after you forever until you give in … don't drag it on forever, please just give me a chance, I'd be the best f***ing boyfriend you ever had," Jack Henry Kerslake wrote in one message.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard he turned increasingly nasty calling her a "sh*t c***" and making derogatory comments about her appearance.

"I"m surprised you're still single with these courting practices," Magistrate Damien Dwyer said.

Mackay man Jack Henry Kerslake, 26, pleaded guilty to stalking a woman he met on a dating app after she rejected his advances.

The pair met at the end of 2018 on the dating site Plenty of Fish.

Prosecutor Sergeant Sabine Scott told the court Kerslake added the woman on Facebook in January 2019 and by February they had swapped phone numbers.

At some point the two went on a date. On March 19, 2019 the woman told Kerslake she was not interested in a relationship, but was happy to stay friends.

Sgt Scott said Kerslake refused to accept the rejection "and began harassing and threatening her" over Facebook messenger and text.

When she blocked him, he started messaging her over Instagram despite to repeated requests for him to stop. 

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The court heard he even created a secondary Facebook account and a secondary Instagram account, using the latter to message the woman: "yeah you best believe I made another Insta just to try to talk to you".

"Can we keep doing this for however long or could you give me a chance?" he wrote to her.

"You can call the cops on me if you want or come out to lunch with me, whatever floats your boat."

"(Kerslake) continued to harass the victim via phone and messenger services into 2020," Sgt Scott said.

"During those communications (he) would abuse the victim, plead with her to be in a relationship with him and reference his knowledge of her address."

He also messaged her: "you're a sh*t c*** aye but I still love you", "why you gotta (sic) be so difficult, such a b*tch" and "Ima (sic) going to do some crazy stuff you won't like".

Mackay man Jack Henry Kerslake, 26, sent more than 300 messages despite his victim telling him to stop.

After hearing these facts, Mr Dwyer said: "I must admit Mr Kerslake you have a way with words."

Between March 2019 and July 2020 he sent more than 300 messages. Sgt Scott said the victim went to police scared for her safety and that of her children because of his "unpredictable and abusive communications towards her".

Kerslake pleaded guilty to stalking between December 2018 and October 2020

The court heard he told police he became angry when she rejected his advances, had "attempted to win her back" and admitted to calling her a "fat hoe".

He told police the victim had been threatening to go to the police for about 18 months and he did not think she actually would.

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Defence solicitor Peter Clark said his client had "extreme difficulty letting go" and pushed for a community-based order given his limited criminal history.

The court heard he worked full-time.

Mr Dwyer likened the conduct to "something out of a teen movie" and slammed Kerslake's persistency and escalating behaviour.

"You can't make anyone love you … either they do or they don't," Mr Dwyer said.

Kerslake was placed on 12 months probation and ordered to complete 90 hours unpaid community service.

There is also a two-year restraining order against him. A conviction was not recorded.

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