GARY BARLOW IMPERSONATOR MITCHELL CORNER STALKED WOMAN WHO DUMPED HIM
A Gary Barlow impersonator stalked a woman he briefly dated, leaving her voice messages saying he was going to kill himself if she did not answer.The 29-year-old from Derbyshire, who calls himself Mitch Corner in the Take That Experience, briefly dated the woman before she decided she did not want to see him anymore.
Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court heard how Mitchell Corner turned up at her place of work asking to see her.
His hearing was told how she called the police and made a complaint against the professional singer from Swadlincote who she met through an online dating app, Derbyshire Live reports.
Now, seven months later, he has 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." The judge said: "The fact of the matter is you are 29 years old and you ought to know better." He was handed a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work.
He was also 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.
He did not receive a curfew, so he can continue his work impersonating Gary Barlow as part of his Take That tribute band.
His work takes place at night.
The case was prosecuted by Ben Payne, who said Corner met the victim on an online dating site in February.
After a few dates, she decided to end it, but he persuaded her to reconsider.
When she eventually ended things via message, he set up social media profiles and contacted her through them.
She blocked him, but he then left her voice messages threatening to kill himself if she did not answer, to guilt trip her into sleeping with him.
On February 23, police visited her Leicester address to discuss her complaints, and Corner arrived there shortly after.
She repeatedly asked him to leave, which he eventually did after 20 minutes.
Later, she learned from CCTV footage that he had been at her workplace, a retail park in Leicestershire, asking colleagues about her.
Corner received a two-year restraining order not to contact or visit her in Lubbesthorpe, Leicester.
The judge remarked, "The fact of the matter is you are 29 years old and you ought to know better."
