AN “ANTI-social pest” who breached a restraining order by repeatedly standing outside a tanning shop has been jailed.

David Channell was repeatedly seen standing outside the store, in New Milton, despite a court order banning him from contacting the owner.

It left the victim of his harassment feeling “scared”, “anxious” and “restless”.

Now Channell has been jailed for 16 months by a judge, who dubbed the 52-year-old an “anti-social pest”.

During Channell’s sentencing at Southampton Crown Court, the court heard how the victim had been given a restraining order in October.

The order was put in place after Channell was sentenced at Poole Magistrates’ Court for using threatening or abusive words towards the victim in an earlier incident.

But just three days after the restraining order was imposed, the victim saw Channell standing outside her tanning shop, New Miltan, in Station Road.

The victim saw Channell on several occasions “staring” at her between October 14 and October 24.

Prosecutor Martyn Booth said that on one occasion the victm also found he had left an unnamed local newspaper on a bench near outside the tanning salon.

When she look at the paper she found it was left open on a page which showed a report of the previous court hearing.

In the victim’s impact statement, read out by Mr Booth, she said: “I feel unsafe, especially when I have to walk to my car.

“I should feel safe to walk anywhere in New Milton. I feel restless and it is causing me to panic.”

Mr Booth added that Channell’s actions were a “flagrant disregard” for the restraining order and that Channell’s behaviour was “obsessive”.

He said that Channell had targeted others in the past, including a 78-year-old woman, as well as other businesses.

Mitigating for Channell, Jonathan Underhill said his client continued to deny the one count of harassment for which he had been found guilty during an earlier trial in the magistrates court.

Mr Underhill said Channell planned to appeal the conviction at the crown court.

In sentencing Channell, of Drake Close, New Milton, to 12 months for harassment, Judge Gary Burrell QC said: “This was a flagrant breach of a court order.

“You have made this girl’s life a misery.

“You seem to be an anti-social pest when you have had a drink.”

Judge Burrell added a further four months to Channell’s sentence after finding he had breached the suspended sentence from the previous offence.

He also extended the restraining order to cover the whole area of New Milton High Street.