A teaching assistant has been given a court community order after admitting stalking a policeman she first came across when he was working at Disneyland Florida.

Apinya Chinglek stalked the man with links to Okehampton over a five-year period between August 2019 and November 2024.

He said that he did not know why he was being targeted by Chinglek who was 'fixated' with him.

She moved to live in Exeter and became a Special Educational Needs masters student at the University of Exeter.

Exeter Magistrates’ Court heard the policeman had no recollection of meeting the 27-year-old Thai woman back in 2019.

But on Remembrance Day last year she turned up at a parade in Okehampton and handed his mother a letter with her mobile number in it.

Exeter magistrates heard that she had found out where the officer lived and who his mother was, so she could approach her at the November parade and invite her son to her graduation ceremony.

The stalking charge – which she admitted – said she followed the victim, contacted him via social media, loitered in a place he frequented, took photos of him outside a police station and went to Okehampton on at least six occasions as she 'watched or spied on the complainant'.

The court heard 'she was fixated with him'.

The prosecution said he was initially polite but when she said she had feelings for him, he said he was flattered but had a girlfriend and blocked her.

The victim said in a statement:"I do not know why I am being targeted, I want it to stop. I don't know how long it will continue."

The court heard Chinglek has been given a Stalking Protection Order.

The court heard she has lost her special needs teaching assistant job and may be barred by education regulators because of the stalking conviction.

District Judge Angela Brereton sentenced her to a 12-month community order with 140 hours unpaid work.

The judge said Chinglek was 'infatuated' with the victim adding: "This has been quite a salutary lesson."