A former Big Issue seller who admitted “stalking” a woman was yesterday warned he would end up in prison if he did not stay off drink.
Sheriff Richard Davidson sitting at Fort William yesterday, told Robert Bloomfield he was concerned to hear that he was drinking again.
The sheriff told Bloomfield’s solicitor Hamish Melrose: “I want him to be very clear that I can’t save him from the demon drink and that, if he drinks to excess and returns to his former behaviour, then there’s only one possible outcome to any further offending.”
He told Bloomfield: “If you re-offend in any way, even remotely like you have done before, there is no way you can avoid jail.”
Bloomfield, of 43 Blar Mhor, Caol, Fort William, admitted causing the woman fear and alarm at an earlier court hearing.
At that time, the court heard that he repeatedly approached and contacted his victim, followed her, shouted at her and grabbed hold of her when she did not want any contact with him in Union Street, High Street and Middle Street, Fort William, between June 10 and 19, 2013.
In April of last year, Sheriff Davidson imposed a three-year community payback order on him, which included 130 hours of unpaid work and a condition that Bloomfield must undergo alcohol treatment.
The 55-year-old appeared before the court today for a review of the order.
Mr Melrose said his client had completed the unpaid work and attended meetings with various agencies as directed by the social work department.
He said Bloomfield seemed to be “heading in the right direction” and had taken on the role of carer for a long-term friend.
But he pointed out that the author of the most recent social work report on his client had expressed some concern about his alcohol intake.
Sheriff Davidson pointed out that the original offence and a breach of a subsequent harassment order preventing him from contacting the woman had been committed while Bloomfield was under the influence of alcohol.
He said: “His offending occurs when he is disinhibited, usually through alcohol, and that remains the concern.”
Despite issuing the warning about the punishment for further offending, the sheriff said he was encouraged that Bloomfield had completed his unpaid work and continued the order to a further review on March 31.
