A man who sent threatening text messages to a woman in Abbey Wood has been banned from entering south London — meaning he cannot cross the River Thames — while he awaits sentencing.
Bilal Jhetam, 43, from Blackhorse Road in Walthamstow, pleaded guilty to harassment causing fear of violence and sending an indecent or offensive message.
Bromley Magistrates’ Court heard that he sent threatening and abusive text messages to the woman between September 11 and September 13.
Jhetam will be sentenced on December 8. As a condition of his bail, he is prohibited from entering south London, except to attend court hearings. He is also banned from contacting the woman directly or indirectly.
The Thames ban is an unusual but practical condition. The river is London’s natural dividing line between north and south, and a ban on entering the south of the city is enforced in practice as a ban on crossing it. Jhetam lives in Walthamstow, in the north-east of the capital, while the woman he targeted lives in Abbey Wood, in the south-east.
Bail conditions are set by the court to manage risk while a case is ongoing. They can restrict where a defendant goes and who they can contact, and breaching them can lead to arrest and being brought back before the court. In this case the conditions will remain in place until Jhetam is sentenced next month.
The two offences he admitted cover different parts of the same behaviour. Harassment causing fear of violence deals with a course of conduct that leaves the victim fearing violence, while the second offence covers sending a message that is indecent or grossly offensive. Both were dealt with at Bromley Magistrates’ Court, where the sentencing hearing will also take place.
Other recent cases heard in London courts include a Metropolitan Police call handler who pleaded not guilty to a series of charges at the Old Bailey, and the case of Russell Brand, who was found guilty of rape and sexual assaults at Southwark Crown Court.
