'Flirtatious' FedEx delivery man is ordered to stay away from legal secretary ...

Andrew Malee, 38, was cleared of stalking but handed a restraining order

Andrew Malee, 38, was cleared of stalking but handed a restraining order

A FedEx delivery driver cleared of stalking has been issued with a restraining order after he was accused of being 'over-friendly' with a solicitor's receptionist when dropping off parcels.

Andrew Malee, 38, was arrested at the wheel of his van and charged with stalking after he winked at, smiled and chatted up Emily Bradshaw as she signed for packages at a law practise.

Miss Bradshaw claimed Malee had made her feel uncomfortable during the 'flirtatious' encounters over a 14 month period and alleged he would deliberately park his vehicle outside her workplace.

She said Malee had also turned up at Nicholls solicitors in Timperley village with the wrong parcel, then knelt down beside her at her desk whilst she 'looked up the correct address. The legal secretary also told how she would unexpectedly bump into Malee in the street and that he seemed to know where she lived.

Police were called in after she told her shocked family about Malee joking: 'See you tonight if I'm not in the back of a FedEx truck.'

At Manchester magistrates court Malee, of Golborne, near Wigan, faced trial but he was cleared of stalking following a trial in which he insisted he was merely 'the friendliest person ever.'

Despite the verdict he was banned from contacting Miss Bradshaw and going within 200 metres of her workplace under the terms of a two year restraining order. He could have faced up to five years jail if convicted.

The incidents began in August 2017 when Miss Bradshaw, in her 20s, was working in her previous job as an admin assistant at a PPI claims firm in Altrincham. 

She told the court: 'I would see him delivering to the company but there was no reason for me to speak to anyone delivering a parcel. 

'The only interactions that we started to have was where I was sitting he would smile or wink at me.

Emily Bradshaw said Malee would park his van outside her office almost every day and made her uncomfortable at two different places of work when he delivered parcels

Emily Bradshaw said Malee would park his van outside her office almost every day and made her uncomfortable at two different places of work when he delivered parcels 

'At first I didn't think anything of it but then I started to get a bit uncomfortable and my boss at the time and a few of my colleagues noticed too so I was moved seats. It was making me uncomfortable. 

'There were other occasions when I saw him in Altrincham plus other times, maybe 20.'

The court heard Malee regularly made deliveries around the Altrincham, Greater Manchester area. 

Miss Bradshaw continued: 'In my second job we did converse. I was in work on the reception desk and he was delivering a parcel so he had to buzz. 

'He buzzed up and came up to reception and gave me either a machine or paper to sign for the parcel and he remembered my name so I was a bit confused how he knew my name. I said 'yes' he said 'I am Andy' and that was it.

'There is other occasions where we would pass outside my work place. There was a second one he buzzed again on the door and came upstairs to the reception, he rang the buzzer and said delivery so I let him in.

'But this parcel wasn't for my work place it was a different address, he was struggling to find the address and asked if I could find it so I did I Googled the address which was a couple of miles away from my work it was near the Tesco, he came and knelt behind my desk.

Miss Bradshaw said that upon meeting Malee on the street once, he said he had seen her car parked nearby recently and asked why, adding 'don't you live this way?'

Miss Bradshaw said that upon meeting Malee on the street once, he said he had seen her car parked nearby recently and asked why, adding 'don't you live this way?'

'He knelt down next to my desk to watch the screen, he said: "thank you I have just been that way." I just thought it was a bit strange. I have never been asked to find someone else's parcel before. 

'My workplace is on the first floor so he could have asked someone on the ground floor. It's a greengrocer so in my opinion it would have been easier to ask them.'

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