A man who mounted a two-year campaign of harassment against an earl's daughter has been banned from contacting her for the next two years.

But Stephen Adamson has vowed to appeal against three convictions of harassing solicitor's wife Lady Rosalthe Randall, the daughter of the seventh Earl of Harrowby.

When he appeared before Cheltenham magistrates for sentence last Friday his solicitor, David Billingham, told the court: "We have lodged appeals against these convictions."

Adamson, aged 36, of Bridgemans Close, Broadway, had been convicted following a trial before the magistrates.

Giving evidence during the trial, Lady Rosalthe said Adamson began a two-year campaign of harassment against her after she refused to give him a job as a cleaner.

The court heard he sent her hundreds of letters and telephoned her up to 16 times a day.

When she had her telephone number changed he carried on his campaign by sending her recorded delivery letters to her home in the North Cotswolds, addressing some of them to her 15-year-old son.

The wife of Francis Randall, a partner in the leading City of London firm of lawyers Charles Russell, Lady Rosalthe called police to her home at Greater Ashton Farm, Ashton Sub-Edge, near Chipping Campden.

They sent Adamson two letters warning him that he could be prosecuted but he carried on harassing his victim.

Mr Billingham added: "Obviously there are two sides to this story.

"Adamson kept a log of the telephone calls he received from Lady Rosalthe. It shows she telephoned him 31 times in four months."

At the end of the sentencing hearing, which lasted nearly two hours, the magistrates made an order banning Adamson from contacting Lady Rosalthe or her family for two years and placed him on a 12-month community rehabilitation order.

They refused an application by Mr George Mullins, prosecuting, to make Adamson pay compensation to Lady Rosalthe and they also made no order for costs.

After the hearing Adamson said: "I did not harass the lady and that is why I am appealing against these convictions. I am innocent but the magistrates preferred to take the word of a titled lady rather than that of an odd job man.

"I have no intention of contacting her but how do I stop her from getting in touch with me?"