Suffolk Magistrates’ Court was told how Simon Birdseye, 70, became fixated with the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons. He bombarded her with messages on Facebook which became sexual, before emailing her the unwanted picture of male genitalia, despite having never met her. The athlete—who has competed internationally—accepted she would sometimes be sent messages on social media by members of the public due to being a sporting personality, said prosecutor Wayne Ablett. When checking her Facebook account, she realised she had been sent "numerous" messages from Birdseye and had no idea who he was. Mr Ablett said: "When she saw the messages, she saw the frequency and intensity increased over a period and they became of a sexual nature."