Perth law clerk dubbed Australias Baby Reindeer learns her fate after relentlessly stalking two men
A serial stalker whose actions had chilling parallels with a character from the Netflix show Baby Reindeer has been jailed for five years.
A serial stalker whose actions had chilling parallels with a character from the Netflix show Baby Reindeer has been jailed for five years.
Law clerk Kobi Langshaw carried out a deliberate, unrelenting and carefully calculated campaign against two men over eight years, a Perth court heard.
Her obsession with a man she was infatuated with and the mans best friend, who she hated, led to her being called Australias Baby Reindeer.
Langshaw was convicted of three counts of stalking and 21 counts of breaching a violence restraining order in relation family lawyer Patrick Gardner and his friend, Aaron Herbert, who is also a lawyer, for offences committed in 2020.
Her actions included moving to the suburb where one of the men lived and walking past his house every morning before he went to work, the West Australian reported.
The extent of her crimes led to Magistrate Belinda Coleman concluding that Langshaw was a high risk of reoffending and that she was very dangerous.
Having had the opportunity to closely observe you over a 15-day trial and subsequent court appearances… I believe I have gained valuable insight, the magistrate told Langshaw.
In my view, you jump at the opportunity to provide explanations and excuses for your offending and relish being centre of attention.
Legal clerk Kobe Langshaw (pictured), who stalked two male lawyers over eight years, has been jailed for five years
The magistrate said it would take her a whole day to outline the inconsistencies in the various reports and submissions Langshaw had made.
She said the law clerks was a very poor historian regarding her childhood and the offences she had committed.
And you harass… out of a desire for retribution or power. You remain a high risk of reoffending. I consider you to be very dangerous.
In their victim impact statements, both Mr Gardner and Mr Herbert said they felt utterly helpless and that they had not been believed.
They said they felt police did not take their complaints seriously at first and spent countless hours trying to prove the offences committed against them.
Langshaws offences have been compared to Martha (pictured) in Baby Reindeer, who relentlessly stalks a barman who showed her some kindness
Last May, Langshaw was banned for life from contacting the two men.
As that ban was handed down in Perth Magistrates Court, Langshaw repeatedly interrupted and argued with Ms Coleman.
The court heard that Langshaw had been sentenced on five other occasions for breaching violence restraining orders, stalking with intent to intimidate, lying to get bail, common assault and criminal damage.
Langshaws offences have been compared to Martha in this years Netflix hit Baby Reindeer, who relentlessly stalks a barman who showed her some kindness.
Langshaw, who represented herself in court, met criminal and family lawyer Mr Gardner in 2015 when she was briefly a client of his.
The following year, he took a violence restraining order against her, The Australian reported.
The court was told about the extraordinary lengths Langshaw went to in pursuit of her victims.
On one occasion, she rang the president of Mr Gardners football club, pretending to be an AFL official, saying she had an umpiring award for him, The Nightly reported.
She later turned up at the clubs awards night and refused to leave.
On another occasion, Langshaw let her children play with skipping ropes just metres from Mr Gardners house, which was captured on CCTV.
She was also barred from the Family Court building in Perth due to outbursts there.
She is a highly intelligent woman, Ms Coleman said. It is clear that she uses charm to manipulate others for personal gain.
She holds a sense of superiority and is very opinionated. When challenged, she becomes hostile but, can instantly switch back to being sweet and unassuming.
The magistrate found Langshaw was infatuated with Mr Gardner and had a hatred for Mr Herbert that was close to pathological.
Magistrate Coleman granted a police request for lifetime restraining orders on Langshaw, banning her from ever contacting the victims again.
Langshaws sentence was backdated to August 2023 to take into account time already served and made her eligible for parole.
