A Merseyside man has been jailed for stalking Hollyoaks actress Stephanie Davis.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that Alex Boston, 43, from Moreton, stalked the actress, who also appeared in Celebrity Big Brother, from April 2020 to July 2021.

Stephanie Davis had a profile on social media and many followers. In April 2021 she contacted the police to report the harassment she had been suffering. She had been receiving unsettling messages from what appeared to be different accounts.

Alex Boston had been sending her messages and claimed to be in a relationship with her and took to delivering flowers and gifts to her, leaving them at her door overnight.

Eventually, she moved out of the house to stay with relatives because she had become so frightened. She installed CCTV at her home.

Increasing amounts of presents were left at her door overnight. Footage from the cameras showed Boston at the house in the early hours of the morning, leaving the gifts.

He then bombarded her with letters and cards, claiming he loved her and was in a relationship with her. One of the letters was seven pages long.

Police traced the social media accounts back to Boston and brought him in for questioning on 28 July 2021. He was also identified from the CCTV footage and his fingerprints were found on one of the letters.

He was charged with stalking and pleaded guilty at the first hearing on 12 November 2021 at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court and was due to be sentenced on 22 December 2021 at Sefton Complex Case Court in Bootle.

He arrived but fled when he saw the press at court. A warrant was issued for his arrest and a further hearing date was set for 30 December but he failed to turn up again. He was finally brought to court today (28 January 2022) and was sentenced to 28 weeks in prison.

The Crown Prosecution Service also applied for a restraining order to be imposed that stops him contacting Ms Davis in any way or her relatives. He must not approach her address either. This was granted by the court and is in place until further notice.

In a Victim Personal Statement which was read to the court, Ms Davis said: “I can no longer relax or feel safe and secure and feel my safe haven has been violated. Mentally this man’s stalking has caused me so much stress, I was struggling to cope. I was too scared to leave or enter my home. I would and still have panic attacks to this day. I constantly feel like I’m looking over my shoulder and can’t fully relax and my anxiety is horrendous.”

District Crown Prosecutor Ronan Molloy of CPS Mersey Cheshire, said: “The actions of Alex Boston terrified his victim. He continued with a campaign of harassment and fear over several months.

“He claimed to be in a relationship with Ms Davis. This was a total fiction but the deception drove him further and further into criminality. Whatever he thought he was doing, he has almost ruined the life of the woman he claimed to be in love with.

“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank Ms Davis for her help in bringing this prosecution and for reporting the crimes of Mr Boston to the police. We hope the successful conclusion of this prosecution helps her to move on with her life.

“Mr Boston has dragged the conclusion of this case out by running away on several occasions, but he is now behind bars. The CPS hopes that this case sends out a strong message to other victims of online harassment and abuse that they do not have to tolerate it.”