An Aberdeen University researcher has been cleared of stalking a senior colleague after he littered his social media profile with posts declaring his undying love for her.
Ramyar Chavoshinejad barely knew Dr Ruth Banks when he started to mention her, almost daily, on his public Facebook page.
The pair had met while working in a lab at the north-east campus while conducting research on diabetes.
Although Dr Banks accepted him as a friend on the social networking site, there was never any interaction between them.
Then in May this year, the 34-year-old started to make up “fantasy scenarios” before posting them online, Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard yesterday.
In some of the dozens of written entries about Dr Banks, Chavoshinejad claimed they were heading on holiday and in others he told his followers that he and Dr Banks were madly in love.
But his incessant posting over the course of a month made Dr Banks feel “uncomfortable” in her place of work and, despite not telling him to stop, she reported his behaviour to the police.
When questioned by officers Chavoshinejad told them he was “ashamed” he had upset her. He said he was in love with her and was only posting his feelings online in an attempt to woo her.
Yesterday Chavoshinejad went on trial accused of stalking the 29-year-old, and causing her fear or alarm with his behaviour between May 16 and June 9 this year.
But Sheriff Alison Stirling found him not guilty of the offence and said she did not believe he had intended to cause Dr Banks any harm.
The court heard that in some of the posts he referred to her as “candy, blossom, sweet pea, honey, my other half and one true love”.
Giving evidence yesterday, Dr Banks said she had noticed he had started to mention her in his posts which she found “creepy” and “inappropriate”.
Representing Chavoshinejad, of Flat 5, 20 Schoolhill, Aberdeen, solicitor Les Green said that as soon as his client had been asked to stop writing the posts he did.
Mr Green said that his client was “socially inept” and did not know how to appropriately tell her he loved her.
