An obsession with a relationship that ended 12 years ago has landed a Kirby resident in court.

Brian Stewart, of Frinton Road, admitted harassment between April 1 and October 9 last year.

Colchester magistrates imposed a 12-month community rehabilitation order involving treatment from a consultant psychiatrist.

A restraining order was also imposed and Stewart was ordered to pay £55 costs.

The court heard how Stewart began sending letters to his one-time fiancee Susan Stewart.

Christian Miekle, prosecuting, said he wrote to the police last September, saying he would ignore any warning to keep away.

At a previous hearing, Stewart, 30, admitted harassment between April 1 and October 9 and the case was adjourned for a pre-sentence and psychiatric reports.

Lucy Osborne, mitigating, said the relationship, lasting some two years, was his first significant relationship.

She said: "The aggrieved terminated the relationship and he sought explanation from her, which has still not been given.

"She refused to see him and he had to accept it. But he felt unable to move on."

He decided to contact her again in 1996 for an explanation, and this coincided with the start of his mental health problems, she said. He had been diagnosed as suffering an obsessive compulsive disorder.

Published Thursday, January 16, 2003

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