Russell Group student stalked lecturer and booked registry office for their imaginary wedding

A former student at a Russell Group University has been found guilty of stalking his old lecturer for three years.

Tin Yeung, a former maths student at the University of Southampton repeatedly emailed the lecturer referring to himself as her “husband”, “faithful follower” and “dear slave”, printed out pictures of her six-year-old son and even booked a registry office for their imaginary wedding.

He has pleaded guilty to stalking the lecturer and has been given an 18-week custodial sentence, a restraining order and has been banned from entering Hampshire.

Maths professor Erengul Dodd was “deeply traumatised” and had to temporarily move workplaces over the “fear”, “worry” and anxiety he caused her.

She said: “I have no idea why he contacts me like this. I have never had anything but a professional relationship with him. To me, this person is a former student who I plan to keep in the past.”

Via Ben Molyneux/Shutterstock

Tin Yeung was originally taught by Professor Dodd in the final year of his maths degree at the Russell Group university in 2016 and went on to graduate “without issue”.

But then three years after his graduation, the lecturer found him standing outside her office, which became a “regular occurrence”.

After that, the ex-student would repeatedly email her in a “sexual nature” with him signing off one email with “your treacherous, your husband, your faithful follower”.

In June 2020, Tin Yeung even booked a registry office and invited her to a marriage ceremony for the two of them.

In one incident in November 2022, the graduate showed up outside her door “tapping his foot and holding a bag”. The court heard that the bag he was holding was full of printed-out photos of her and her family, including photos of her six year old son, mum, and sister all taken from her mum’s Facebook account. Erengul Dodd said this left her feeling “anxious and shocked”.

The lecturer described the stalking as “delusional” and “disturbing” and in a victim impact read out to the court, she said: “His actions caused me to change my place of work temporarily. I have started watching my back in case he is following me. I have found his actions intimidating.”

She added: “Thinking about what his intentions may have been made me very nervous about the safety of myself and my family.”

Tin Yeung pleaded guilty to stalking the Russell Group lecturer for the period between July 2019 to April last year. He claimed to have “no intention” of contacting the lecturer any further.

Sentencing the former student, magistrate Gary Chant said: “This was a very serious offence of which the stalking took place over a long period of time. You were found in possession of her family photos, photos that included her six-year-old son. She had to temporarily move her place of work which is just not on.”

The magistrate said the offence was “so serious” but told Yeung “you will not be going to prison today”.

He sentenced him to an 18-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months and issued him with a restraining order banning him from contacting the professor or entering Hampshire.

Yeung will also have to pay a total of £239 in costs and complete a 12-month offender requirement programme.

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Featured image before edits via Ben Molyneux/Shutterstock.