Sixty-six-year-old man convicted of stalking seven-time world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore; magistrate describes case as “Chilling with a menacing undertone”

According to the police prosecutor, Gilmore's stalker has a “long history” of violence and breaching apprehended violence orders and he feared for Gilmore’s wellbeing.

A man, previously banned from coming within even half-a-click of seven-time world champ Stephanie Gilmore, has been convicted and fined after approaching Gilmore at the Tweed Coast Pro in September.

Squires Winter, a sixty-six-year-old, told police he was a surf coach who’d “briefly worked with Steph” and that his understanding of the court order was that he only to stay one hundred metres away from Gilmore in the surf.

Winter had scared hell out of Gilmore in previous incidents earlier in the year and had sought a personal violence order.

As part of the order, Winter wasn’t allowed to contact Gilmore, look for her or come within five hundred metres of her workplace.

In facts tendered to court, Winter appeared next to Gilmore as she was unloading a surfboard from her car.

Police allege Winter said, “Hi, how are you going?”

Gilmore responded, “Great, thank you,” before recognising Winter.

When he suggested “catching up later” she said, “No, no we won’t. Bye.”

Police allege Winter said, “We are going to catch up later, aren’t we?”

Gilmore said “No” and walked away.

Winter was allegedly found by police fifty metres from the carpark.

He allegedly told ‘em he was on his way to Brisbane, an hour or so north, and that he saw Gilmore on his way back from the shitter.

The police prosecutor Sarge Chris Martin opposed bail at the time and said Winter had a “long history” of violence and breaching apprehended violence orders and that he feared for Gilmore’s wellbeing.

The magistrate agreed, noting the distance Winter had travelled to allegedly bump into Gilmore and that it “indicated fixated behaviour and some degree in planning.”

Yesterday in Tweed Heads Local Court, Winter appeared via videolink from custody, and was convicted and fined $1000 for breaching the protection order.

The police prosecutor told the court Winter’s story “did not make any sense” as he wasn’t able to swing across the border due to COID-19 restrictions.

Winter has form.

He’d previously been convicted of breaching apprehended and personal violence orders eleven times, convicted of assault occasioning bodily harm, three times, and twice for assault.

Magistrate Geoff Dunlevy described the case as “chilling with a menacing undertone.”

In 2012, a homeless schizophrenic junkie, Julius Fox, was sentenced to four years in jail after bashing Gilmore with an iron bar, breaking her wrist, outside her Tweed Heads apartment in 2010.

He was released in 2014.

In March, 2020, a “mysterious strawberry blonde” was charged with stalking Mick Fanning and sending letters accusing him of pedophilia (and confessing her love).

The Gold Coast, eh?