A MAN who stalked a woman he had last seen when they were both at school some 50 years before has been ordered to keep away from her.

Everard Cunion said he 'never got over' Julie Taylor, despite not having seen her since 1972.

The 62-year-old decided to try and get back in touch with her earlier this year after losing his job, which he said made him "re-evaluate" his life.

He researched births, deaths and marriage registers in order to find her, even obtaining her wedding photo. He also turned up at her old family home where her 88-year-old mother Georgina Allen still lived, a court heard.

Although he was told to leave by Ms Allen, he sent eight letters addressed to Ms Taylor to her mother's home.

He also went jogging past her mother's house every day over a four-month period and once followed a woman he thought might be Ms Taylor from the property.

Ms Taylor did not reply to his letters, but both she and her mother became concerned when Cunion made a joke about kidnapping her in the correspondence and reported him to police.

Cunion, a former IT software engineer, appeared at Poole Magistrates' Court last month to admit stalking and harassment.

He returned to the same court on Friday to be sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work and ten rehabilitation activity requirement days days, as well as a five-year restraining order which prevents him from contacting Ms Taylor or her mother and 'limited entry' to Ms Allen's road.

After his previous hearing Cunion, who lives with nine life-size dolls at his home in Christchurch, said he felt "stupid" over the matter.

He said: "I upset her (Ms Taylor) when I was at school and it's haunted me for 50 years.

"I was determined to try to find out if she was okay but clearly I alarmed her.

"I wanted to find a way of making it up to her.

"Girls have to be able to reject guys they don't want and those guys have to accept that. For some reason I have not really been able to.

"It's a shame and I do feel really stupid about the whole thing."

At the earlier hearing prosecutor Lee Turner explained Cunion's unrequited love for Ms Taylor began when he went to school with her between 1968 and 1972.

James Moore, mitigating, has previously told the court that Cunion intended "no malice"

He said: "Redundancy caused him to take stock of his life and all he wanted to do was see if he could rekindle a friendship with her.

"He realises that is not going to happen and since his arrest he hasn't engaged in any behaviour like this with Julie or her mother."