Andrej Uspenski, 38, (pictured arriving at Westminster Magistrates Court in London) has been sentenced to a 12-month community order for harassing his ex
A Royal Ballet photographer who sent his dancer ex-girlfriend a sex toy on her birthday and a picture of her dog drowning has been sentenced for his three-month harassment campaign.
Andrej Uspenski, 38, targeted Tatjana Novitjenko, 35, after she ended their relationship in June last year.
Russian-born Uspenski had been dating the dancer for eight months when she dumped him for being possessive.
She became ‘very anxious’ after receiving a string of aggressive text messages and got a court order to stop him getting in touch.
But the ruling made no difference and he continued to bombard her with texts, emails, flowers, a ‘double-ended sex toy’ and a picture of her dog drowning in a river.
Upsenki, of Hampstead, north London, admitted violence without harassment earlier this month and was sentenced to a 12-month community order today.
He is also required to undergo rehabilitation for 25 days and pay £170 in costs. The court ruled he must not contact Ms Novitjenko under any circumstances.
He targeted Tatjana Novitjenko (pictured) after she ended their relationship in June last year
Upsenki became a photographer when his dancing career ended, attending events with Ms Novitjenko. They then quickly started a relationship.
Reading Ms Novitjenko’s witness statement in court, prosecutor Katie Bryan said: ‘It does not make any sense, we had a boring conventional sex life.
‘It shows that he has thought about it and that he has put effort into it, the thought process does not make any sense, which is why I am concerned.’
Ms Bryan continued: ‘The complainant had been in a relationship with the defendant for eight months.
‘It started in September 2016 and they moved in together in January 2017.
‘The victim described him as being jealous and protective and they broke up in April 2017.
‘He moved out of their shared flat taking most of his belongings and she took the rest to his place of work.
‘After that he sent her a number of aggressive messages and there was an order made that he was not to contact her.
‘On one occasion he attended a dance studio she attends and told people there she had aborted his baby.
‘A harassment notice was then issued but texts continued, asking for receipts from his photography business.
‘On 14 September 2017 he sent flowers to her front door which said, ‘This time last year I kissed the most beautiful girl in the world
‘The police serve a harassment notice but he continues.
‘On 19 September he sent two emails, the first written in Russian about recent photos she had taken part in.
‘In the email Uspenski asked: ‘What’s this picture? What poses are these? You want to be on a Baywatch photo shoot.’
‘A second was written in English, apologising for contacting her and that he forgot about the seven-year rule.
Upsenki (pictured outside court), of Hampstead, north London, admitted violence without harassment earlier this month and was sentenced to a 12-month community order today
‘On or around 20 October, while she was out of the country for her birthday, her flatmate received an odd-shaped package from the defendant which contained a double-ended dildo.
‘Initially she thought it was a joke from another friend messing around, but then discovered a note with the defendant’s handwriting.
‘It said: ‘Life is that serious, oh yes, life is that serious, but not really.’
‘Attached to the card was a photo of her dog, photo-shopped to make it look like the dog was drowning.’
Raphael Steele, defending, said: ‘This was a short, intense and passionate relationship and when it came to an end Mr Uspenski struggled to get over that.
‘When they were together the complainant was dealing with Mr Uspenski’s finances and that was the reason he was maintaining contact to get details of his accountant so he could continue his business.
‘It was quite obvious the messages were unwanted from the harassment warning he received in July.
Uspenski (pictured) danced at the Royal Ballet as first artist and performed in Swan Lake after joining in 2002 but was forced to retire in 2015 due to an injury
‘Mr Uspenski was quite upset and distressed, he wanted to try and be amicable with her, to be friendly, he did not mean any malice.
‘In the text messages he sent the seven years of silence are of him reading the harassment warning, he meant ‘I know I am not supposed to be contacting you but I just want to try and be friends.
‘The relationship started professionally, he was helping to develop her social media profiles, so when he saw the images he said were ‘Baywatch’ he was saying ‘I thought we had an idea of where we were going with this.’
‘With regards to the present of the double-ended dildo and the pictures on the birthday card Mr Uspenski loved her three Chihuahua dogs.
‘He wanted to put in some of her favourite things, the things she likes, a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes, a love heart and her dogs swimming.
‘It was not an image of a dog drowning, Mr Uspenski loves the dogs and would never do anything like that.
‘With regards to the double ended dildo, it was a long standing joke so that when he went out to the shops she would say what she wanted and then at the end say ‘oh and a double ended dildo’.
Chief Magistrate Carolyn Mishon, concluded: ‘First and foremost we notice that you have pleaded guilty and we have given you credit for that.
‘However, this was very much a pre-planned period of harassment and you ignored the notice that had been given to you by the police.’
Uspenski danced at the Royal Ballet as first artist and performed in Swan Lake after joining in 2002 but was forced to retire in 2015 due to an injury.
He has since gained worldwide notoriety as a ballet photographer and has published several photography books.
He continues to work as a photographer for at the Royal Opera House and said in a 2016 interview: ‘It sounds strange, but when I see somebody dancing, I know who they are – dancers are naked on stage.
‘It’s an inside knowledge from years of dancing myself.’