Man who harassed Sunderland woman by banging on her windows is jailed after flouting restraining order

John William Richard Birch initially received a restraining order in September last year after he was convicted of harassing his victim in Sunderland two months earlier.

Now he has been locked up for 18 weeks at Sunderland Magistrates’ Court after he admitted breaching the order by visiting an address he was barred from attending on February 10.

The court jailed him after labelling the offence “so serious” because he had “similar previous matters on his record”.

He received 18 weeks in prison after he was re-sentenced for the harassment and eight weeks in custody, which will be served as part of the larger sentence, for the breach.

Birch, 53, of no fixed address, also admitted failing to comply with a community order and was ordered to pay a £128 victim surcharge and £85 costs at a rate of £5 per week from June 7.

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