A SKIPTON man has been sent to prison for 18 weeks after being found guilty of the harassment of a woman he was once in a brief relationship with.

Vincent ‘Vinnie’ Hawkins, 41, was already subject to a community order when he pestered the woman in Skipton for a letter in support of a separate court matter, the Skipton court heard. Despite also being subject to a police harassment notice, ordering him to keep away from the woman, he approached her while she was out walking her dog and went to her house, on one occasion throwing a stone at her property. In a victim statement, the woman, who had known Hawkins since primary school, said she was constantly on edge worrying about what he might do. She had been forced to spend money on extra security and all she wanted was for Hawkins to leave her alone. Hawkins denied harassment without violence on September 2 last year, but was found guilty after trial last month. In mitigation, John Mewies said Hawkins was a ‘broken man’ and appealed to magistrates not to send him to prison. He said Hawkins had had a troubled life, some of it his own making. He had believed he could rely on the support of the woman, and could not understand why she had refused to help him. Hawkins did not have the best of records and had made a nuisance of himself to neighbours, his mother and to others, said Mr Mewies.He drank on occasions, but was drug free and did his best to keep himself to himself.”He believes if he is left alone, he can keep out of trouble, but trouble follows him around.He seems to ignore the opportunities offered to him by the courts, but I can think of no useful purpose of sending him to custody other than removing him from society. He is sadly a broken man, and what is the point of sending a broken man to prison.”

Magistrates told Hawkins, of North Parade that they had no choice but to send him to prison. He had shown no empathy towards his victim or responsibility for his actions, and had also shown ‘blatant disregard’ to comply with previous court orders. He was jailed for 18 weeks and told he would normally be released after serving half the sentence to serve the remainder on licence. Magistrates also imposed a restraining order barring Hawkins from contacting the woman directly or indirectly, or approaching her house, for five years.