Man who stalked Liverpool’s Marie Höbinger given two-year restraining order | OneFootball

A man who stalked the Liverpool midfielder Marie Höbinger has been handed a two-year restraining order and an 18-month community order.

Westminster magistrates court heard that Mangal Dalal, 42, sent the Austria international sex messages on Instagram, told her he wanted to have babies with her and sent her pictures of underwear.

The court also heard that the father of two had made her feel anxious in her own home, causing her to hold back from mixing with fans at matches, and that the stress had led to a flare-up of a skin condition.

Dalal, of Marylebone, London, had pleaded guilty to stalking at Liverpool magistrates court in December. On Tuesday he was also ordered to pay £650 of costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

Sentencing Dalal, the district judge Hina Rai said: “The nature and tone of the highly sexualised content was distressing and caused her to be fearful of her surroundings and affected her daily life.”

In a victim impact statement Höbinger said the events had affected her performance on the pitch and added: “This incident has meant I now struggle to sleep. I live on my own, and being on my own at home I become anxious and scared – any noise I fear [he] may have found out where I lived.

“Although I am in the public eye I do not feel it is acceptable to receive sexually explicit messages. I do not feel that it is acceptable that women’s football is sexualised and disrespected. No woman, no matter what her job, should have to put up with this kind of behaviour.”

Dalal travelled to a Liverpool fixture in Manchester last February and was spotted by the pitch after the game. The court heard that he admitted this in a police interview but said he had been mentally unwell.

His defence lawyer, Daniel Lister, said Dalal was of previous good character but was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time he was contacting Höbinger, and said Dalal had been seen barefoot and preaching sermons in the street.

Header image: [Photograph: Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Getty Images]