A PENRITH woman placed a cricket bat nearby as she was harassed by an intoxicated friend who turned up at her home late at night.

Carlisle Magistrates’ Court heard a statement provided by the victim about incidents involving 53-year-old Andrew Wightwick. These occurred between January 11 and 14.

“The defendant has turned up unwanted, heavily intoxicated, to the address of the woman,” said prosecutor George Shelley. “She has not answered. He has banged on a door and proceeded to send her abusive messages.”

In her statement, the woman spoke of being woken by Wightwick on January 13 as he banged on her front door. “I stayed really quiet, ignoring him, hoping he would go away,” she recalled. “I was really scared.”

He then sent a number of messages. And on January 14 he went to her house again, at around 1am, “screaming in the street and banging on the door”.

The woman reluctantly let him into her property to avoid embarrassment with neighbours. Wightwick “got really up close”, she said. “I got a cricket bat out,” she continued, making it clear that it was not used.

Wightwick, she suspected, didn’t even know the bat was there but she stated: “I had it next to me just in case.”

Two young children present were “scared”, the court also heard, with shouts of “don’t come in” greeting Wightwick’s unwanted arrival.

Police were called, he was arrested and, on his first court appearance, admitted harassment without violence.

Defence solicitor Kate Hunter said Wightwick pleaded guilty on the basis that “he ought to have known” the woman would have felt harassed.

“He never intended to cause the victim harassment,” said Miss Hunter.

The pair had met at a funeral, become close and she had been a good friend to him.

Wightwick suffered from alcoholism but had been sober for several months since his offending. “He has made a lot of progress,” said Miss Hunter, referring to the contents of a probation service pre-sentence report. “There is a lot of mitigation.”

Wightwick, of Wilson Row, Penrith, was made subject to a community order. He must complete an alcohol treatment requirement and work with the probation service to assist his rehabilitation.

“Hopefully this will give you the help and support that is needed,” lead magistrate Karen Warwick told Wightwick, who was also fined £200.