A Dutch teenager who became so obsessed with a girl he met online that he travelled to Britain in a bid to meet her has been banned from England for two years.
Jeffery Van Riemsdijk, 18, befriended the schoolgirl on a gaming website and sent her a series of sinister messages before flying to confront her.
After threatening to commit suicide he then pushed a blood-stained note through her door and claimed he was going to take his life in front of her.
The 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, immediately called police who arrested Van Riemsdijk and took him into custody.
Van Riemsdijk, from Amstelveen, Netherlands, pleaded guilty to pursuing a course of conduct amounting to the stalking of the girl when he appeared before South Somerset and Mendip Magistrates.
He is believed to be the first person convicted of the new stalking laws which were introduced to England earlier this month.
Julyan Stephens, prosecuting, said that defendant befriended the victim and her boyfriend via the online role-playing game World of Warcraft and got to know the girl quite well.
“However, he seemed to have become infatuated with her and there was concern raised by friends of both of them that he was becoming more and more obsessed with her,” he said.
“Then he turned up in August this year when the girl was away on holiday and left a note with her mother who reported him to the police.
“They found him at a local hotel and after being given words of advice he went back to Holland.”
But contact resumed just months later between the pair, where comments made by Van Riemsdijk became more concerning.
Mr Stephens added: “He made specific references to the 12/12/12 and saying he thought it was a good day to end it all and there was a suggestion that he was going to kill himself in front of her in a dramatic gesture.
“He turned up at her address on this date and handed her a note with blood stains on it along with words of unrequited love.
“She saw him through the peephole of her front door and was horrified to see him there and then another note was passed through the door asking for someone to call 999 and saying that he needed some help.”
Van Riemsdijk made no comment when he was interviewed by police and was later found to have no mental health issues.
John Killah, defending, said the case centred around two young people who were having an international relationship online that went wrong when he went to visit her in August.
He said:”In October the victim actually contacted him again herself and it reignited his interest in her.
“He lives in Amsterdam, is going well at college and this is a case of an 18-year-old young man who has got out of his depth and just wants to go home.
“This whole situation has been a disaster for everyone and he has the financial means to get home to his parents who are worried sick.”
Magistrates imposed a two year restraining order the teenager, preventing him from entering England or contacting the victim, directly or indirectly.
He was also handed a two year conditional discharge and told to pay #15 victim surcharge.
