Hebburn man twice breaks child 'no contact' order as he 'did not understand' it
A South Tyneside dad was in double trouble with a court when he twice breached a non-molestation order in attempting to contact his children.
Former military man Stephen Seymour, 38, briefly spoke to one of the youngsters by phone on Friday, September 13, in defiance of the legal ban.
A day later the scaffolder, of Forber Avenue, Cleadon Park, South Shields, turned up at the child’s home in St Oswald’s Street, Hebburn, again when prohibited.
The order was granted in favour of his ex-partner at a hearing where he was not legally represented and in terms he had not grasped, borough magistrates heard.
Prosecutor Rehana Haque said Seymour and the woman split after a decade together two years ago because of his drinking and argumentative behaviour.
The final straw was when he smashed a mirror on her car, leading her to seek the year-long, court-imposed non-molestation order in August.
Its terms include a ban on him going to her home, making threats of violence and contacting their children, except via a third party.
Mrs Haque said he had not breached the order before he phoned the boy.
She revealed his visit to the woman’s Hebburn home the following day had been captured on her security camera.
In a statement, the victim said seeing Seymour on her CCTV had made her feel sick and scared, and she added, “He clearly has no boundaries for the law”.
The prosecutor said: “The non-molestation order was issued on August 2. He’s breached it six weeks after it was made.”
Seymour pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a non-molestation order.
Tom Morgan, defending, said his client had been “confused” by earlier court proceedings, at which he was not legally represented.
Mr Morgan said Seymour had not contested his ex’s application for the order on the basis he believed he could still see his children.
He added: “The terms in which it has been made make it very difficult for him to have any contact at all.
“He’s not seen his children since June. He’s in essence estranged from them.”
Magistrates sentenced Seymour to an 18-month community order, with 15 rehabilitation days and 30 sessions of the Building Better Relationships programme.
They rejected a prosecution application for a restraining order but retained the non-molestation order, and ordered him to pay a £114 victim surcharge and £85 costs.