A man repeatedly hassled a woman for money “within days” of being banned from coming near her, a court has heard.

Paul Seel, 51, had already been handed a restraining order against the woman in October last year after admitting to “pushing her around the house.”

But Bolton Crown Court heard how he was back at her front door asking to get his passport on October 30 before appearing again on December 3 as his victim tried to leave a shop.

Prosecutor Megan Horner said: “Upon leaving the shop she found the defendant waiting outside and he asked if he could borrow £40.”

Dressed in a dark grey T-shirt, Seel, from Bolton but of no fixed abode, looked on from the dock as Ms Horner told the court about the impact his actions - committed in the borough - had had.

The Bolton News: The case was heard at Bolton Crown CourtThe case was heard at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

Reading a statement from the victim, she said: “I’m constantly worried if he is going to be waiting for me and what he may do.”

Seel, who has seven previous convictions for nine offences, was arrested and pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment by breach of a restraining order.

He was then bailed but was bothering his victim again by December 27.

Ms Horner said: “He said he’d called round to see her and asked again if he could borrow money.”

Seel was arrested again and was remanded into custody after at first denying his crime.

But he eventually pleaded guilty to another count of harassment by breach of a restraining order.

Daniel James, defending, said that Seel had earned credit for his guilty pleas and said that he had been facing a “difficult situation.”

He said: “At the end he acknowledges that he has been at desperation point, really.”

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Mr James said that despite Seel’s previous convictions, the two and a half months he had by now spend in prison had been extremely hard on him.

But Judge Nicholas Clarke KC reminded the court of just how quickly Seel had breach his order after spared jail at his last court appearance.

Addressing the defendant directly, he said: “Within days you chose not only to ignore the restraining order but went back on a number of occasions.

“You knew you weren’t supposed to be at the address.”

Judge Clarke jailed Seel for a total of 16 months.