by Julia Roberts

A beggar who persistently harassed a good samaritan for money until she gave him handouts totalling £35,000 has been jailed for two years.

Sukhvender Deo ignored anti-social behaviour orders banning him from begging to harangue Bridget Macedonski for cash after she befriended him following the death of her husband.

At first the 41-year-old, of Castle Road, Chatham, asked for small amounts - but then began demanding £100 a time.

Maidstone Crown Court heard he would follow Mrs Macedonski home, pester her in the street and make numerous calls and text messages.

Martin Yale, prosecuting, said Deo preyed on her "better nature" and his persistency led to her remortgaging her home in New Ash Green - and then later selling it when she was unable to keep up repayments.

Over four days in May this year, Deo and others phoned Mrs Macedonski or texted her asking for money to pay drug debts to such an extent that she believed he had been kidnapped.

But despite her ordeal, the court heard the legal secretary has sympathy for Deo, also known as Billy.

style="font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;">good samaritan took pity

bridget macedonski had been left “shattered” by the death of her husband at the age of 40 following a short illness.
she was living in dock road, chatham, at the time and first met deo in the high street on her way home from church.
dishevelled and asking for money, mrs macedonski gave him a couple of pounds.
she then began to see deo on a regular basis outside chatham railway station on her commute to work in london. he would always ask for money, which she gave. she described him as “sociable and nice,” the court was told.
however, he later began asking for £100 each time and started to follow her home. “to avoid him she would get off the train at gillingham and then walk to chatham,” explained martin yale, prosecuting. “but if he didn’t see her, deo would call her mobile phone. she began to feel quite intimidated and became angry that she could not deal with it.”
the court heard mrs macedonski spoke to deo’s social worker, but ignored her advice to tell the police. “she was concerned about getting him in trouble,” added mr yale.
in 2006, deo was made subject to his first asbo in relation to begging in chatham. the same year, mrs macedonski moved from the town, first to longfield and then to new ash green in 2007.
believing matters had calmed down, she contacted deo and he helped to clean out her garage.
but he then started to turn up uninvited and with others, telling her he would be killed if he did not pay.
mrs macedonski paid using money left to her by her husband.

In her victim impact statement, she described him as well-meaning and said it was his drug addiction that had cast him in a bad light.

"The fact he has abused my trust is sad and disappointing," she said, "but I cannot help thinking that without the support of others encouraging him he would not have managed to go so far."

Deo admitted harassment between January 2007 and May 17 this year, breach of an ASBO and two offences of perverting the course of justice.

These related to phoning Mrs Macedonski from prison following his arrest and asking her to drop the charges.

He was jailed for three months for harassment, 12 months consecutive for the ASBO breach and nine months concurrent on each offence of perverting the course of justice but consecutive to the other sentences, making a total of two years.

Deo was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting Mrs Macedonski.

The court was told that following her move from New Ash Green, Deo does not know her new address.

Judge Martin Joy told Deo: "This was a wholly disgraceful course of conduct by you preying on somebody who had sought to come to your aid and you preyed on her better instincts. Even now, she has considerable sympathy for you."

Philip Sinclair, defending, said "pathetic" Deo was himself a victim, suffering from mental health issues and being targeted by others who bullied him.