A 68-year-old man has been imprisoned for five months after stalking his female neighbour, despite breaching a court order designed to protect her.
Stephen Crossley, who lives in Windermere, Cumbria, was sentenced at Furness & District Magistrate's Court following his guilty plea to stalking charges and violating a stalking protection order.
The court heard that Crossley had subjected his neighbour to persistent unwanted attention between May 15 and 25, prompting her to take extensive security precautions at her home.
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Magistrates determined that a custodial sentence was necessary, with bench chair John Lloyd stating the offences were too serious for any alternative punishment.
The pensioner had been subject to a three-year stalking protection order since January 2020, following previous incidents where he sent handwritten letters, composed songs for the victim, peered over her garden wall with a mirror, and entered her garden without permission.
The order contained seven specific prohibitions, including bans on direct or indirect contact and approaching her property or garden, reports The Westmorland Gazette.
Prosecutor Graeme Tindall told the court that Crossley first violated these restrictions on May 9 when the victim saw him walking along her footpath.
The case was heard at Furness & District Magistrate's Court
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On May 15, he posted a birthday card through her door addressed to her mother, which read: "Have a very happy birthday, especially giving birth to the most desirable and sweetest girl in the world.
"Love [the complainant's] number one admirer."
The harassment continued on May 23 when Crossley approached the victim's home again, breaching his order. A friend later informed her they had spotted him watching her property from his upstairs window.
The victim's statement revealed the profound impact on her life: "The situation has caused me to feel uncomfortable in my own home. I am concerned for my own safety. I feel scared because of his actions."
She explained the defensive measures she had been forced to implement, including installing CCTV cameras and increasing the height of her garden fences.
"His repeated unwanted contact has caused me to feel stress and anxiety. My hope is for an outcome that protects the community," she told the court.
Defence solicitor Karen Templeton argued that Crossley's behaviour stemmed from mental health difficulties, describing him as "extremely vulnerable" with "clear significant difficulties."
She told magistrates that his offending coincided with a period in spring when he had stopped taking his medication, and that he was receiving support from an early intervention team.
Ms Templeton pleaded for leniency, stating: "He told me he would not last five minutes in prison. He thinks all of his neighbours hate him."
She urged the court to give him "one last chance," warning that custody would destabilise him.
However, after 20 minutes of deliberation, magistrates concluded they could find no grounds to suspend the prison sentence.