ABSTRACT
A 20-year-old mathematics student is referred by the university counselling service. He is currently suspended from his studies due to alleged harassment of a female student. He has been repeatedly sending this student text messages (over 20 per day for the last 6 months) and spends much of his day loitering around the halls of residence where she lives. He has told his family that he and the female student are engaged and that when they met, it was ‘love at first sight’. The female student denies this, saying that she has never had a relationship with him, has no wish to do so and finds his behaviour towards her extremely upsetting. She has informed him on numerous occasions that she does not wish to have any contact with him. At the request of his tutor he was seen by the university counselling service. During the initial assessment he told the counsellor that he and the female student were in love and that he felt angry that she could not admit this and had reported him to the university. Since she did this his behaviour towards her has become more intense and he has had thoughts of killing her, saying that this would be the only way to maintain their ‘pure love’ without the interference of others.
