Apple CEO Tim Cook has been granted a restraining order against a San Francisco resident of Indian origin who is alleged to be stalking him.
According to reports, a man named Rakesh “Rocky” Sharma allegedly showed up at Cook’s home with Champagne and flowers. He returned a month later, entering the property’s gate without permission and ringing the doorbell. He also made phone calls to Tim and sent him messages on social media sites.
The interactions including phone calls, described by Apple as “threatening statements”, led the company to request a restraining order this month against the San Francisco resident Rakesh Sharma (41). A California court accepted the request and issued a restraining order against Sharma.
Sharma is ordered to stay away from Tim Cook’s residence in Silicon Valley, as well as the company’s Apple Park headquarters and Cook’s three security guards. The restraining order will continue until the hearing in the case which is scheduled for March.
As per William Burns, the security specialist of Tim Cook, Sharma’s harassment began on 25 September 2019 when he left a disturbing voicemail on Apple’s CEO phone. Burns alleged that Sharma made another unsettling call a week later and after that, his behaviour escalated, he attempted “to stalk Apple CEO by physically trespassing on the CEO’s personal property” on two separate occasions.
The court filing also alleged, that in another trespassing stance, Sharma entered Cook’s property through a closed gate without permission at around 10:30 p.m. on December 4 in an effort to deliver the flowers and champagne.
“Sharma continued to tag the Apple CEO on his twitter handle, which included sexualized and inappropriate pictures of Mr. Sharma with reference to Tim Cook,” the court filing said. “Shortly thereafter, Mr. Sharma continued to tag the Apple executive on his Twitter account, which included sexualized and inappropriate photos of Mr. Sharma with reference to the Apple executive,” the document said.
Sharma also issued threatening messages to Tim Cook in a video he had posted on Twitter. He said, “Hey Tim Cook, you have serious issues at your brand. You need to leave the Bay Area. Basically, I’m shooing you out. Shoo, Tim Cook, out of the Bay Area.”
