Stalker jailed for three years

A man who stalked two young women has been jailed following a South Wales Police investigation.

Zulfkar Ahmed, 67, of Grangetown, has been jailed for three years for two counts of stalking involving serious alarm/distress, and one count of breaching a stalking prevention order.

Ahmed, who was jailed on April 15, had previously pleaded not guilty to the offences but was found guilty by a jury following a four day trial at Cardiff Crown Court on February 13.

The court heard how Ahmed stalked two victims. One between 2022 and 2025, and the other between 2024 and 2025.

In both cases, Ahmed first met the women at their places of work. The first victim, a woman who was 24 at the time, began chatting to Ahmed – who was a customer – at a café she worked in. Ahmed advised the victim he would be able to offer her a job and, after some convincing from Ahmed, provided her phone number.

While initial text exchanges were cordial, the victim soon became uncomfortable with Ahmed’s messages and stopped replying. Over the course of three years, Ahmed had sent over 10,000 texts to the victim despite the lack of response and her blocking him.

During this time he also regularly attended her work, sprayed her with a perfume, approached her in the street, and tried to give her a purse to which she rejected.  He also bought her a bag and gave the store the victim’s number to inform her to collect the unsolicited gift.

The second victim, who was 18 at the time, first met Ahmed when she was at work in 2024. After initially asking her for help, he started asking her personal questions and tried to offer to help her with her studies. He also tried to find out about her shift patterns before she was able to excuse herself.

He continued to visit her work, causing her to move to staff-only areas of the store to avoid him. He would approach other staff members about where she was, and when one told him a lie that she wasn’t working, he challenged them, stating her car was in the car park. When managers challenged him on his behaviour, he stated he had never said anything sexual.

Ahmed was then made subject to a stalking protection order – believed to a first for a stranger stalking case in Cardiff and Vale. He breached this order when followed one of the victims on social media.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Poppy Gosling said: “Ahmed is a concerning man, who built up fantasies about his victims that left them fearful and vulnerable in both their places of work, and when out and about.

“I can only praise and thank the victims for their confidence in reporting his behaviour. I’m grateful for their patience throughout the legal proceedings and hope his time in prison will go some way in bringing them some peace.”