An obsessed and menacing stalker left a terrified woman in constant fear for her safety after bombarding her with "countless" emails, sending her a chilling picture of a gun and repeatedly warning her that he would shoot her.

Convicted sex offender Musa Khan travelled up on the train from London to Hull in blatant breach of a restraining order and turned up at her home, demanding that she open the door and telling her that he loved her. He sent her explicit pictures during the "scary" two-week campaign of terror and even managed to track down where her mother lived, Hull Crown Court heard.

Khan, 36, admitted breaching a restraining order and stalking the woman between November 18 and December 3, sending threatening messages between November 22 and 25 and sending explicit pictures between November 20 and 24.

Jennifer Gatland, prosecuting, said that the woman started talking to Khan on Facebook in April last year but they never had a sexual relationship. He sent her a message declaring his love for her and he travelled up from London, where he lived, to Hull.

He was convicted of stalking on April 20 last year and a one-year restraining order was made banning him from contacting her or going to her home. She blocked him on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger but he contacted her by email.

Khan sent her a photograph of train tickets from London to Hull for that day and an email saying "Hello" with a heart emoji. He sent another heart emoji and a photograph of her front door. He sent a message saying: "I'm here now. Please open the door. I love you."

Khan sent an email saying: "I'll break the door if you don't come" and others saying: "Call me on WhatsApp" and "Please open the door." She became alarmed when she realised that Khan had tracked down her mother's address.

"He kept sending emails saying that he wanted to see her," said Miss Gatland. Another message sent after midnight read: "Call me please. I see your light on. I love you." He sent a message with a picture of her mother's garden, asked her to open the door and said that he was going to stay there.

Khan sent her a pornographic image in an email and told her: "I love you." He sent explicit images of a man's body from an adult website. "He continued to send messages throughout the night and the next day," said Miss Gatland.

He told the woman in a message: "I am on Beverley Road. I will shoot you. I have a weapon so you can't cross Beverley Road." He told her: "See you soon." In another message, he said: "I have two more men. They are helping me."

Khan later said that he was coming to Hull and would rent somewhere in the city. He threatened to shoot her and there were "countless more" messages telling her that he loved her. He threatened to shoot her and told her: "I have a car. I pick you up." He sent a picture of a gun.

There were more messages and Khan told her how much he missed her. In another message, he seemed to be threatening to take her away on a ship. He was arrested in London on December 3 and claimed that he did not understand the terms of the restraining order.

Khan denied getting a train and being present near her home but admitted sending sexual messages. He denied having a gun and said that the picture of a gun was one that he found online. "This is an extremely serious incident of stalking," said Miss Gatland.

The woman later said: "This experience has been nothing but scary. I have been constantly worried about it. I still feel that I have to look over my shoulder even though the defendant is in custody.

"I don't feel I could ever trust another man in my life. I am in fear and nervous of what someone else could do if they behave in the same way."

She had received threats of violence from Khan. "They have had a lasting impact on me," she said. "I am anxious when outside. I am worried about what the defendant could do if he is released. I just want to move on with my life and have closure."

Khan had convictions for four previous offences, including the previous stalking offence against the same woman and a separate unrelated one of sexual assault. He had been given a community order by Central London Magistrates' Court for that offence.

Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, mitigating, said that psychiatric and pre-sentence reports on Khan made for "grim reading". He had a wife and three children in Afghanistan and he had been in this country for 10 years after arriving as a refugee.

"He hopes that he will be deported," said Miss Kioko-Gilligan. "He hopes that he will be returned to Afghanistan to be reunited with his wife and children. This is the first time that he has experienced a custodial sentence."

Judge John Thackray KC told Khan: "Over a two-week period, you terrorised her – and not for the first time. You travelled from London to Hull. You messaged her repeatedly when it was obvious to you that she wanted no contact whatsoever.

"You sent a message with a picture of a gun. You made express and implicit threats to her safety. Understandably, she felt terrified and your behaviour has had a huge impact on her life.

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"She says your behaviour is ruining her life. This conduct was intended to maximise fear or distress. There was a high degree of planning, travelling from London to Hull and tracking down where her mother lived, not to mention sending the pictures. She had to make changes to her lifestyle and she is too frightened to stay at home."

Khan, of Moray Road, Finsbury Park, north London, but recently in custody on remand, was jailed for three years and nine months. He was given a 10-year restraining order and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years.