A stalker who regularly broke onto his ex’s balcony to spend the night there is facing a prison sentence.
Kane Lawrence, 30, continued to turn up at his ex-partner’s flat in Portslade despite multiple warnings from her and from police that he should stay away.
As well as getting into the block of flats, he would also climb onto the flat roof at the back, next to her bedroom. He would regularly sleep there, or in the communal hallway.
Police were eventually called by the woman’s neighbour after he told him changing the locks wouldn’t keep her safe.
Prosecuting, Maria Goptareva said: “He was continuing to let himself in so the neighbour reported issues to the landlord who agreed to change the locks.
“Lawrence was outside watching the locks get changed and said to the neighbour, ‘If you are trying to keep [the woman] safe, it’s pointless because I have a key to the back door. If I wanted to get into the flat, I could.'”
The court heard Lawrence, of St Giles’s Close in Shoreham, and the woman had been in a relationship from 2018, and had a child together, but had split in 2020.
After that, she kept bumping into him in the street, when he told her he would change if she let him move back in.
Ms Goptareva said: “He would turn up at the bedroom window from the balcony and knock on the window and ask to be let him in the evening. The woman started to sleep in the living room.”
In 2025, he started turning up at the child’s school and following them onto the bus.
In May, police arrested him on the balcony and after questioning, he was released on police bail with a condition not to go to the roads near her house in Portslade.
Even after that, the woman discovered empty beer cans on the balcony, and he managed to get buzzed into the flats and knocked on her door.
A friend of his also messaged her, leaving a voicemail saying: “You know you love him. Make it up to him.”
On 25 May, the woman’s mother called police to say she had seen Lawrence near her daughter’s home. Police arrested him and he was charged with stalking.
At interview, he told police that he and the woman were still in a happy relationship, and had been together for eight years.
The woman told police he seems to think they are still together, but she just wants him to leave her alone.
Lawrence appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court on 27 May, when he pleaded not guilty. He changed his plea to guilty at the same court on 6 August.
He has been remanded in custody since June, and will remain in Lewes Prison until his next hearing at Lewes Crown Court on 10 October.
Butlins for the clown, no question about it. No way is that idiot going to change his ways until real punishments and restictions are imposed on the likes of him, either that or take him to the vets.
Dangerous man. His actions will get worse unless he’s stopped with a long jail sentence.
Bet she relieved he’s Prison who wants that happening in there life.
How weird he gets onto the Balcony just to make the Woman feel uneasy etc, not even causing a scene.
This is serious offence, he should be jailed-he obviously can’t keep away can he, can’t move on, neither can the Wiman if he like that.
Surprised to see information that should only be known to the police has made it into a newspaper.