Lincolnshire man pleads guilty to verbally abusing multiple women and girls in Waddington

A man who verbally abused multiple women and girls has pleaded guilty to four public order offences during a hearing at Lincoln Magistrates' Court.

Paul Coleman, 62, of Millers Road in Waddington, caused significant distress to members of the public across a number of separate incidents during the month of October, Lincolnshire Police said.

All of the offences took place in the Waddington area and were described by police as "completely unprovoked".

He entered the waiting room at Cliff Villages Medical Practice in Mere Road on October 4 and began verbally abusing people there before following a separate woman home.

Almost a week later on October 10 he began to verbally abuse a group of people at a pharmacy before following another woman - which police said made her fear for own safety.

Police received a report five days later he had approached one of the women from an earlier incident a second time, and engaged in "unwanted inappropriate conversation".

Coleman pleaded guilty to all the offences and has been given an an interim Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) until his next hearing for sentencing on January 10.

The CBO prohibits Coleman from acting "in a manner that causes or is likely to cause nuisance, harassment, alarm, or distress to any persons in North Kesteven".

If the CBO is breached it is considered a criminal offence and he may be given a custodial sentence. For the most serious offences, this can be up to five years.

Coleman has been released on court bail until his sentencing in January.

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