A HOMELESS man stood outside the flat of a former neighbour and shouted abuse at her, Worcester magistrates heard.

Shane Campbell, aged 38, was in breach of a restraining order preventing him from going to flats at Cranham Drive, Warndon, Worcester, or from harassing Sylvia Cattermole, the court was told.

The order had been imposed in October last year, for harrassing Miss Cattermole on July 16.

Campbell has pleaded not guilty to the charge at an earlier hearing, and on Friday, November 9, his trial was held.

Prosecutor Steven Harris said: “The allegation is that Mr Campbell disregarded his order by turning up outside Miss Cattermole’s flat and shouting abusive comments, heard by her and two others.”

Miss Cattermole gave evidence that on the evening in question she has been at home in her first-floor flat when she heard Campbell shouting outside her window. She said she was lying on her bed watching TV when she heard shouting outside.

From her living room window, she could see Campbell, who was shouting abuse.

She said: “He was shouting things like ‘you effing bitch, you slag, come on down where I can get you’.”

She told the court that Campbell had previously lived in one of the Cranham Drive flats.

She had met him soon after and said good morning to him, and he had threatened her. Two further residents, Amera Mendham and Peter Weir, gave evidence about Campbell's appearance.

Mark Lister, defending Mr Campbell, cross-examined them and pointed out discrepancies in their evidence, concerning exactly what time the incident took place, how long it lasted and how far away Campbell was.

Mr Lister suggested that the residents had made up the incident to get Campbell in trouble, thinking him responsible for damage done to Miss Cattermole's car a short while previously. Campbell and his partner Chantal Attwood gave evidence, saying they had spent that evening at a friend's house in Edgeworth Close, playing cards.

Both denied they had been to Cranham Drive at all that evening.

But the magistrates found Campbell guilty of breaching his restraining order, and imposed an eight-month community order with supervision.

He also has to pay £150 costs.