A FORMER university law lecturer has appeared in court for the sixth breach of a restraining order imposed in November to protect his former girlfriend, who lives in Darwen.

Blackburn magistrates heard that reforming alcoholic Michael John Dunbar succumbed to temptation and had a drink in the station bar at Preston.

And after one drink led to several he ended up catching a train to Blackburn instead of one to Ormskirk and went to the home of Rosemary Williams.

Dunbar, 45, of Flash Lane, Rufford, pleaded guilty to breaching the order. Sentence was deferred for six months until February 11.

Clare Fanning, prosecuting, said that under the conditions of the restraining order, Dunbar was banned from approaching Miss Williams or her home in Melville Gardens. In June he was made subject to a two year community rehabilitation order for five breaches of the order.

Miss Fanning said that on Friday Miss Williams had been on the sunbed at her home when she heard the door bell. When she eventually made her way to a bedroom window and looked out there was no one there.

"A few minutes later she looked out of her kitchen window and saw the defendant standing on some spare land at the back of her house," said Miss Fanning. "She was very shocked to see him and immediately rang the police. In the past he has made numerous threats towards her, including threatening to break into her home and set it on fire.

"She is very frightened of him, believing him to be capable of the threats he has made," added Miss Fanning.

Police who answered Miss Williams' emergency call were leaving her house when they saw Dunbar nearby and arrested him.

Andrew Church-Taylor, defending, said Dunbar had graduated with honours in Law and went on to lecture at the University of Central Lancashire.

"He is clearly a man of some intelligence and academic achievement and his transgressions are all explained by his addiction to alcohol," said Mr Church-Taylor.

"With the assistance of the probation service he had not had a drink for five months and in that time he had not been a nuisance to anyone."

Mr Church-Taylor said that last week Dunbar had become 'maudlin' after looking at some photographs taken when he and Miss Williams were on holiday in Turkey.

"He hadn't been drinking and at that point common sense prevailed," said Mr Church-Taylor. He said that on Friday Dunbar went to the University library to carry out some research work and eventually went to catch the train home.

Mr Church-Taylor said that when Dunbar travelled to Darwen his intention had not been to harass or frighten Miss Williams, but to apologise for the nuisance he had caused in the past.