AN unemployed man who repeatedly sent letters to his female neighbours has admitted harassment.

Frederick Hooper sent numerous letters to former neighbour Annaliese Russell. But instead of sending them to her new address he posted them through her old letterbox asking new occupant Rachel Heath to forward them on. On one occasion, Ms Russell opened a letter by accident.

Sally Hewitt, prosecuting at Worcester Magistrates Court, said: "Rachel Heath thought, This has to stop.' She wrote a note saying, Annaliese Russell does not live here - please refrain from putting letters through my door." But this did not stop the letters. Ms Heath then received a letter addressed to The Owner', which said: "Stop hassling me. I told you I do not like you, Why are you hassling me?"

She received one more letter after that and phoned the police.

Miss Hewitt said: "She feels he is watching her. She has changed her route to work and has been very stressed by the incident,"

The court was told that another woman who had lived in the area for two years started to find letters under the windscreen wipers of her car. One said: "It seems to me you have taken no notice of me, I suggest you remove your car. If you do not take notice of this letter you will be visited."

The letter was signed Frederick Hooper.

When Hooper was arrested he told police it was Ms Russell who was giving him unwanted attention.

Fifty-one-year-old Hooper, of Elmfield Gardens, off London Road, Worcester, admitted harassment without violence between January and June 2007. The court was told that in 2002 Hooper had been sentenced to 30 months in prison for an indecent assault and was made to sign the sex offenders' register.

Andy Childs, defending, said Hooper was an eccentric man whose method of correspondence was writing letters. "He is not working and has a lot of time on his hands," Mr Childs said.

"He's a prolific letter writer. I've been getting them most days from him and do not take offence. It is his way of dealing with things. He's often a little too ready to put pen to paper.

"It was never said there was any threat and he has kept himself to himself."

The case was adjourned for psychiatric and pre-sentence reports. Hooper will return to court on Thursday, March 20.