'Degree of obsessiveness': govt contractor allegedly stalked woman for months

An ACT government contractor accused of stalking allegedly used his job to access information about a woman's sibling and "exhibited a degree of obsessiveness" in messages to her, a court has heard.

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Suyash Sinha, 31, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday, October 26, when he made a second application for bail after being denied two weeks earlier.

He is yet to enter a plea to one charge of stalking.

Suyash Sinha leaves the ACT Magistrate Court with his lawyer after being granted bail. Picture by Mardi Borg

The court heard Sinha first reached out to the woman in January 2026, when she "clearly" stated that she did not wish to speak with him.

The prosecutor, opposing bail, said the man continued to contact the woman over a number of months across multiple forums and once in person.

Sinha, who holds master's degrees in both finance and accounting, was working three jobs at the time, including as an ACT government contractor.

He allegedly used his government role to access information about the woman's sibling, before his employer stood him down on leave without pay after learning of the allegations through media reports.

While acknowledging that the proposed bail conditions were strict, the prosecutor said the concern was whether the man could comply with them.

"The charge before your Honour speaks to ongoing harassment ... that persists despite multiple clear requests from the complainant for the conduct to cease," the prosecutor said.

"The text messages ... effectively describe a person who is unable to take no for an answer."

She argued Sinha posed a risk to the alleged victim's safety if released from custody.

She also noted that the woman said she did not know anything about the man, was unsure what he was capable of, and was concerned that he would attempt to contact her family members.

Applying for bail on Sinha's behalf, his defence lawyer said the man has no criminal history and there was nothing before the court to suggest he couldn't comply with strict bail conditions.

She said the man allegedly last contacted the woman in September, more than a month before his arrest.

"This is not a case where the alleged offending behaviour only stopped due to the arrest of the defendant," she said.

The lawyer said the proposed conditions, which required Sinha to live at his Franklin home and not contact the woman or her family, were drafted to ensure the alleged victim's safety.

"Mr Sinha has reflected on his actions during his time in custody and is acutely aware that if he were to breach bail, he would return there with little to no prospect of getting released before the matter is finalised," she said.

"He has already participated in an interview with police where he made various admissions regarding his conduct."

Magistrate Ian Temby granted the man bail, saying it was a "tricky" application.

"On the one hand the messages that the defendant sends and the way he sent them exhibited a degree of, I guess, obsessiveness, is the word I would use," Mr Temby said.

Mr Temby said the man allegedly contacted the woman on Instagram using different names that were changed to communicate with her.

He said some names were used to "flatter her", others offered "apologies for his conduct", and one claimed he would "see her soon".

The magistrate said this was despite the woman's "obvious reluctance to have anything to do with him".

However, he accepted the defence submissions that nothing suggested Sinha would fail to follow the proposed conditions, ruling he should be given the opportunity to comply.

He also noted that the man seemed to have stopped contacting her a month before he was arrested, which gave "some optimism that perhaps he has finally understood the complainant does not want anything to do with him".

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