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Stalker Al Amin Dhalla guilty of loaded crossbow charge | |
(40 minutes later) | |
A former City worker convicted of stalking his former fiancee has been found guilty of possessing a loaded crossbow near her workplace. | |
Al Amin Dhalla, 42, was found guilty of seven charges including harassment and arson at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday. | |
The court was told the Canadian stalked Alison Hewitt, 35, of Brighton, and her family after she ended their relationship. | |
The crossbow was found in his car at Hayward's Heath Hospital. | |
He is due to be sentenced on 16 April. | |
'Prevented three murders' | |
The trial was told how Dhalla moved into the home of Ms Hewitt months after meeting her through an online dating agency. | |
However, Ms Hewitt's family voiced concern over his "unseemly haste" to marry her and relations soured. | However, Ms Hewitt's family voiced concern over his "unseemly haste" to marry her and relations soured. |
The couple split after a year and Dhalla went on to set fire to her family's home near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, while her mother and stepfather were on holiday. | |
Det Ch Insp Rebecca Mears, from Thames Valley Police, said Dhalla was "an exceptionally dangerous man". | |
She added: "Our fear was that his intent was to kidnap and possibly murder Alison, and possibly her parents as well. | |
"Ultimately we think we've prevented up to three murders." | |
On Tuesday he was convicted of arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered, attempted arson, damaging property and two counts of theft. | |
Dhalla was found not guilty of two more serious charges of putting a person in fear of violence through harassment but convicted of two alternative charges of harassment of Miss Hewitt and her mother. | |
On Wednesday he was also found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon and perverting the course of justice but cleared of one count of theft. |