Richmond woman fearing the worst after alleged stalker released

On Wednesday, Koszima Mair got the call she was dreading.

On the other end of the phone was someone from the B.C. justice system’s victim services, letting her know that the random stranger -who has allegedly been trying to get into her house for the last 13 months – was about to be released from custody.

The man, Jesse Castillo, has been ordered by the court to steer well clear of Mair and her Terra Nova home and is currently charged with two counts of breach of a recognizance.

After allegedly breaching that court order in June, he was detained in custody for the last month or so and Mair was able to breathe and live a relatively normal life.

Until yesterday.

“It's hard to put into words how I feel right now.  I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm scared and I feel like I have no control over what happens next,” Mair wrote on Facebook.

“As of right now, I can no longer open my bedroom window, I have to review cameras to leave my house or take my garbage out.

“I have to worry about myself, kids or dog using our backyard. He gets released from prison and I feel like that puts me in a sort of prison.”

Castillo appeared at Richmond Provincial Court on Wednesday and was released on bail, pending his appearance back in court on Aug. 4.

Mair said the Crown prosecutor was “sympathetic but emphasized the need to call 911 if he's spotted anywhere near my home.

“So if anyone sees him in my area please call 9-1-1 immediately and let them know."

Richmond RCMP told the Richmond News that it has created a “safety plan” with Mair that includes calling 9-1-1 if she sees Castillo.  

Calls received from Mair or connected to her home would be considered for a “priority response,” say police, adding that each call would be assessed on the information provided, for example in progress versus a report made after the fact.

“This is an unenviable position to be in. We are extremely sympathetic to Ms. Mair’s situation,” said Cpl. Adriana O’Malley.

“We are doing everything to keep her safe which would include arresting and recommending charges where an alleged offence has been committed.”

The News told last month how Mair lives every day in fear, sleeps with a hammer under her pillow and has her house surrounded by security cameras.

She told how Castillo, 39, has allegedly, for reasons unknown, turned up multiple times at her house and tried to get inside, sometimes while she and her teenage kids are home.

In each of the 11 frightening episodes, Castillo, who is understood to be homeless, allegedly bangs on Mair’s door and tries the door handle.

He seems adamant, claimed Mair, that he either lives there or knows someone who does and appears to be afraid of nothing, neither her dogs nor the imminent arrival of the police.

On one occasion, he allegedly stood in her front yard, staring into her window while sharpening two pieces of concrete together.