A York woman grew so obsessed with a personal trainer that she joined all his gyms and even turned up at his home.
Julie Rookes, 50, waged a seven-month stalking campaign after first joining the victim’s online training sessions for various gyms in the York area during the Covid lockdown.
She was taking more than 20 sessions a week. “He was concerned about the amount of exercise she was doing as she has a heart condition,” prosecutor Kathryn Walters told York Magistrates’ Court.
The personal trainer worked at a number of different gyms in the York area. “She attended all his classes at two different gyms – one was a 40-mile-round trip from her home and back,” said Ms Walters.
“He joins another gym – she joins the gym as well.”
It seemed that wherever and whenever the fitness instructor held a class, Rookes was sure to be there.
Ms Walters said it was believed that Rookes bought the man an expensive gift at one point.
Given the extraordinary number of fitness classes she was attending, Rookes had spent about £4,000 during the stalking campaign.
When the coach found another job at a gym in Boroughbridge, soon enough, Rookes joined that gym too.
He started working at a hotel in the town and she turned up there too.
He continued to work at various gyms and Rookes “attended on a regular basis”, to the point where he banned her from his classes.
Ms Walters said that Rookes also turned up at the man’s home in a village near York. He wasn’t in at the time, but his partner was.
Caused stress and anxiety
Rookes, of Osbaldwick Lane, York, was arrested and released on police bail on the proviso that she didn’t approach the victim, but then she drove to a gym in York that he frequented.
She was duly arrested again and charged with stalking, causing alarm or distress, between May 2022 and February 2023.
Rookes denied the offence and the case went to trial. She was convicted of stalking and appeared for sentence today (March 19).
In a victim-impact statement read out by the prosecution, the personal trainer said that Rookes’ obsessive behaviour had caused him stress and anxiety.
He said that as a group-exercising instructor, he was trying to “help people achieve their goals”, but Rookes’ behaviour had resulted in him “distancing himself from people who want to seek help”.
He said that Rookes seemingly had an “inability to not be told ‘no’”.
“She didn’t accept it when he told her to leave him alone and she didn’t accept that he would not be offering her personal training,” said Ms Walters.
He had suffered health problems as a result, including “significant” weight loss and an existing serious health condition had been exacerbated by the stress of the subsequent investigation into the stalking.
He had fitted extra security at his home due to “fear and anxiety” caused by Rookes who had been seen in his village when bail conditions prohibited her from entering it.
‘A sad case’
Rookes’ solicitor Andrew Craven said numerous character references attested to the fact that his client was of otherwise good character.
He said she had physical health problems and had never been in trouble before.
District judge Adrian Lower told Rookes: “This is a sad case. You became obsessed with Mr Matthews but there’s no suggestion that this was a sexual obsession.
“You started attending his classes and even when he moved his classes to a different location…you kept attending, even when you were told to find a new personal trainer.
“You’ve exhibited no remorse for what you’ve done.”
He said that if he were to send Rookes to prison, it wouldn’t be for long, and it would be better if she were rehabilitated in the community.
Rookes was given a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work and up to 20 days’ rehabilitation activity.
She was made subject to a five-year restraining order banning her from contacting Mr Matthews and his partner and going to their home in Wheldrake.
Rookes was ordered to pay £620 prosecution costs and a £114 victim surcharge.