Victim in hiding as alcoholic stalker jailed (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Victim in hiding as alcoholic stalker jailed

A WOMAN who was bombarded with phone calls and visits by a 40-year-old stalker has had to adopt a new identity and move home to escape his clutches, a court heard.

Terence Hamilton, of Aston, Birmingham, admitted to breaching a restraining order by going to Annabelle Kinnear's home in Chipping Campden, and making 273 phone calls to her between December 17, 2003, and January 19, 2004.

He also admitted making calls to her and going to her address on May 16 last year and making further calls to her between June 13-16, 2004.

All the incidents were in breach of restraining orders made at Cheltenham Magistrates' court in April 2003.

Alcoholic Hamilton shook in the dock of Gloucester Crown Court last Friday as he was sentenced to two years behind bars for his campaign of harassment against Ms Kinnear.

Robert Duvall, prosecuting, told the court that on one occasion, on January 18 last year, police had found Hamilton hiding in a cupboard at her house.

He was then granted bail but a check of his mobile phone showed that he had then bombarded her with 273 calls, often late into the night.

In May last year, Ms Kinnear found him at the house again. He was arrested again and bailed.

However, later that month he was found - throughout the course of a single day - to have made between 30 and 40 calls to his victim. The campaign continued throughout June, the court heard.

Mr Duvall revealed that Hamilton had a previous conviction for breaching a restraining order - again after the termination of a relationship.

Giles Nelson, defending, argued that Ms Kinnear had agreed to go on holiday with Hamilton to France, during the period of the offences, and that there was strong evidence that he had lived with her again for a time.

Judge Jamie Tabor, QC, told Hamilton: "When a court makes an order and a person deliberately breaches it time and time again it is clear that that person does not understand the importance of the order."

He added: "I doubt very much that she enjoyed your company after the order was made but I accept that you have been in her company when she has not strongly objected.

"Men like yourself have such strong power over their victims that they don't complain and in fact can't complain."