A Gary Barlow tribute act told a woman he would take his own life if she did not agree to carry on seeing him. Mitchell Corner, who performed as part of a tribute band called The Take That Experience, pleaded guilty to stalking the woman at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court.
Professional singer Corner, from Derbyshire, met the woman through an online dating app in February and they went on a small number of dates before she decided she no longer wanted to see him anymore. After first persuading her to change her mind, Corner's victim ended things by message, DerbyshireLive reports.
The 29-year-old singer then set up a string of Instagram and Facebook profiles to contact her, but she blocked him. He then left her voice messages saying he was going to take his own life if she did not answer him.
A court hearing was told how the woman ended up calling the police and making a complaint about his behaviour. On February 23, after police left the woman's home in Leicester after a conversation about her complaints, Corner turned up at her home and asked to come in.
She asked him to leave repeatedly and he eventually did after around 20 minutes - but when she arrived at work in a retail park in Leicester, her colleagues said a man had been there asking if she was working. CCTV showed that it was Corner.
Seven months after the ordeal, Corner, of Swadlincote, appeared in court where he pleaded guilty to a single count of stalking. Peter Jones, his solicitor, said: "I would ask you to believe this was more a case of unrequited love rather than stalking in the traditional sense.
"He does accept this was harassment to the lady concerned but it was only over three days and it would have been better to have resolved matters face-to-face. It came to his surprise when the police wanted to talk to him in July of this year as the incidents dates from February.
"He is now established with a new girlfriend and is a professional singer and so I would ask you to step back from imposing a curfew as his work takes place at night-time. He is in a Take That tribute band and he is the Gary Barlow."
Ben Payne, prosecuting, said Corner, of Chiltern Road, met the victim on an online dating site in February. He said after a small number of dates she decided she no longer wished to see him anymore and told him so.
The prosecutor said: "He persuaded her to change her mind but then she ended it by message and he set up various Instagram and Facebook profiles and contacted her through them. She blocked him on everything he changed tack, leaving her voice messages saying he was going to kill himself if she did not answer.
"It was a guilt trip to try and get her to sleep with him."
Mr Payne said that, on February 23, the police went to her address in Leicester to talk to her about her complaints against him and soon after they Corner arrived.
He said: "He asked to come in and she repeatedly asked him to leave which he eventually did after around 20 minutes. She went to work - she works at a retail park in Leicester - and when she got there her colleagues said a man had been there asking if she was working.
"They showed her CCTV and it was this defendant."
District Judge Jonathan Taaffe handed Corner a 12-month community order with 80-hours unpaid work. He did not impose a curfew, meaning the defendant should be free to continue his work impersonating the multi-award winning singer songwriter as part of his Take That tribute act.
He was, however, ordered to pay £85 costs and a £95 victim surcharge as well as a two-year restraining order not to contact the victim or go to her street in Lubbesthorpe, Leicester.
The judge said: "The fact of the matter is you are 29 years old and you ought to know better."
