'Obsessive' stalker travelled 4,000 miles to confront ex after she dumped him then held her cousin hostage

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

An American stalker dumped by his girlfriend after subjecting her to 'horrific' online abuse travelled almost 4,000 miles to confront her - before holding her cousin hostage for hours while armed with a hammer. Edward Best, 26, bought a one way ticket from Chicago to Manchester to challenge his ex after she'd built up the courage to block him following a campaign of vile abuse.

The pair had never met in person, but struck up a relationship online and had played video games together since 2018. But after Best became increasingly obsessive and bombarded her with disgusting messages, including telling her terminally ill father that he hoped his death would be 'terrible', she blocked him on all platforms in March.

Days later Best, fuelled by drink and cannabis, bought a one way ticket to Manchester and paid for an Airbnb. He purchased a hire car and scoped out the woman's house in Tameside for days.

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But when he struck on April 3, she was not home. Her unsuspecting cousin had gone round to feed the cat while she and her family took a holiday to mark the anniversary of her father's death.

Best had scaled a wall and 'leapt' at her cousin when she opened the door to check for an intruder. He held her hostage for about three hours, until she was able to text a friend with the message '999'.

Best tried to flee the country but was caught. He has now been jailed for seven years and described as a 'danger to the public'. He is set to be deported back to the United States at a later stage.

"There can be few more terrifying examples of stalking than this was," the judge said as she locked him up. Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Best