A MAN who was convicted of harassing a headteacher has been given a community order and 250 hours’ unpaid work.
Christopher Bingley, 50, of Kendal Vale, Worsbrough Bridge, appeared at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
He had previously been found guilty in his absence of harassing a headteacher and causing a nuisance on school premises. The headteacher and the school cannot be identified due to reporting restrictions. Mr Bingley had walked out of court before the trial started after an application to adjourn by the defence - which sought to issue more documents as evidence - was denied.
The offences occurred between February 2016 and April 2017, and December 2016 and May 2017.
During Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutor Paul Macauley said Mr Bingley had regularly attended the school and had left leaflets on the windscreens of parents’ cars. He said an order was made withdrawing Mr Bingley’s licence to enter the school, but he continued to attend.
He said: “There is no suggestion of any physical aggressiveness, it was verbal. But it still has an adverse affect on the headteacher and those who have to deal with it. The situation to some extent has died down.”
He said the situation had an adverse affect on the headteacher’s health, and a pre-existing health condition had been aggravated because of Mr Bingley’s actions.
Defending, Chris Peace said Mr Bingley had experience in the course of his career as a ‘troubleshooter’.
He said: “He felt without these documents he wouldn’t have a fair trial because the court would only hear one side of the story.”
District Judge Margaret McCormack sentenced Mr Bingley to a 12-month community order with 250 hours of unpaid work and ordered him to pay £620 in court costs and an £85 victim impact charge.
After the hearing, Mr Bingley said: “It (the sentence) is what it is. The appeal has been lodged and we’re awaiting a court date.
“I wasn’t allowed to put evidence into court that shows that according to the police I wasn’t turning up on site and causing harassment.”
