A 76-year-old man who became “besotted” with a barmaid will be sentenced in August after repeatedly breaching a court order banning him from contacting her.

Before Ipswich Crown Court was Alexander Apthorpe, of The Green, Walberswick, who has admitted four offences of breaching a restraining order.

Apthorpe, who was not legally represented, was due to be sentenced on Monday (June 28) - but Judge Emma Peters adjourned the case to August 2 to allow a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

Matthew Sorel-Cameron told the court that a restraining order had been made in 2011 and it had been breached by Apthorpe in 2012 and 2018.

He was fined on both occasions.

Mr Sorel-Cameron described the breaches of the restraining order as “persistent” and said they had caused distress to the victim.

“It may well be a case that crosses the custody threshold,” he said.

At the hearing in 2018, the court heard that Apthorpe breached the restraining order by visiting the victim’s family's farm in South Cove.

On that occasion, Apthorpe’s solicitor said his client had become “besotted” with the woman when she was working as a barmaid and had sent her cards and invitations to dinner after discovering where she lived.

His feelings were not reciprocated and, despite cautions and warnings, his behaviour continued.

In 2011, Apthorpe was prosecuted after turning up at the woman's family's farm saying that he wanted to see her because he was in love with her.

In 2012, he breached the restraining order by going to the farm again. However, by this time the woman had moved to London.

Apthorpe had been taking a monthly injection which kept him 'mentally stable' but, in 2018, he stopped taking the medication - which his solicitor felt had resulted in him turning up again at the woman's family's farm.

The solicitor noted that after asking his client why he continued to look for the woman and go to her family's farm, the defendant said: "Faint heart never won fair lady."