A recruitment consultant has told how she was too scared to close her eyes in the shower due to a ‘horrific’ stalking campaign by a lorry driver she helped to find a job.
Jennifer Pickering, 32, had met Jan Schlossar just once before he started sending her sexually explicit messages, moved house to be closer to her, and even proposed to her at her workplace.
Schlossar, 42, has now been jailed after he continued to stalk her despite being given a restraining order.
But Ms Pickering, from Leicester, said she fears he may ‘never give up’ and will continue to harass her.
‘I was so terrified of him that I couldn’t close my eyes in the shower, because I was convinced he’d be watching me when I opened them,’ she said.
Jennifer Pickering (pictured), a recruitment consultant, has told how she was too scared to close her eyes in the shower due to a ‘horrific’ stalking campaign by a lorry driver she helped to find a job
Ms Pickering, 32, had met Jan Schlossar just once before he started sending her sexually explicit messages, moved house to be closer to her, and even proposed to her at her workplace
Schlossar (pictured), 42, has now been jailed after he continued to stalk her despite being given a restraining order
‘The fact it’s taken three court cases shows how bad it had to get for anything to be done.
‘I was angry at first, I felt like a sitting duck. I felt so helpless. But now I can see the police were trying to build a bigger case so that he’d get a longer sentence.
‘He was relentless and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He became obsessed and wouldn’t leave me alone. I’m terrified that he’ll come after me again.’
She first met Schlossar in March 2022 after he applied for a lorry-driving job she had posted an advertisement for in her role at a recruitment firm.
Days later, he called to discuss the details, and an hour later appeared at her office to apply in person. ‘It felt weird from the moment I met him,’ Ms Pickering said. ‘The way he looked at me and spoke to me seemed off from the very first meeting.’
While applying, Schlossar took four hours to fill out a form that should take 45 minutes. After he’d finished, Ms Pickering put Schlossar forward for the job – which he was then offered.
As part of her role, she was required to do weekly check-ins with Schlossar via text message from her work phone. But Schlossar’s replies became increasingly frequent and inappropriate, with him asking Ms Pickering out on a date just a week after he was placed in the job. He then moved to Leicester and turned up at her office with a ring.
‘He said he’d moved house to be closer to me and that he wanted to marry me,’ she said. ‘He was just staring at me through the window for half an hour before he barged into the office and said he needed to speak to me.’
Ms Pickering’s colleagues called the police and Schlossar was arrested. But he continued to bombard Ms Pickering with sexually explicit messages and videos of him pleasuring himself.
He posted videos on Instagram where he told Ms Pickering he loved her and begged her to be with him and have his children.Schlossar was given a lifetime restraining order in June 2022, after admitting two counts of stalking but within two hours of his release from jail in September, he contacted Ms Pickering again, leading to his arrest and remand.
Schlossar pleaded guilty to harassment and breaching a restraining order in November 2022 at Leicester Magistrates’ Court and was sentenced to 12 weeks for the breach and 23 weeks for harassment, to run concurrently.
She first met Schlossar in March 2022 after he applied for a lorry-driving job she had posted an advertisement for in her role at a recruitment firm
As part of her role, she was required to do weekly check-ins with Schlossar via text message from her work phone. But Schlossar’s replies became increasingly frequent and inappropriate, with him asking Ms Pickering out on a date just a week after he was placed in the job
Schlossar pleaded guilty to harassment and breaching a restraining order in November 2022 at Leicester Magistrates’ Court (pictured) and was sentenced to 12 weeks for the breach and 23 weeks for harassment, to run concurrently
But upon his release, Schlossar continued to post videos online addressing Ms Pickering and contacted her via Instagram. He was arrested again and sentenced to 30 months for breach of the restraining order in February.
‘It’s been exhausting, I’m constantly on edge,’ Ms Pickering said. ‘I’ve never experienced anything so consistently horrific. I realise now my life will never be the same.’
Detective Constable Josh Evans, of Leicestershire Police, said: ‘Jennifer has endured two horrific years of harassment and stalking by Schlossar which has left her feeling at times extremely fearful. Despite this, the bravery she has shown has been incredible and I hope with the recent custodial sentence Jennifer can start to feel safe and lead a normal life again.’
