Everard Cunion, 62, said he 'never got over' Julie Taylor

An obsessed engineer who stalked a woman he had fallen in love with 50 years earlier has been landed with a five year restraining order after he pursued her once again.

Everard Cunion, 62, admitted stalking Julie Taylor- once Julie Allen - saying he 'never got over' her despite having not seen her since they left school in 1972.

The lifelong bachelor decided to try and get back in touch with her earlier this year after losing his job made him re-evaluate what was important in life, Poole Magistrates Court was told.

The court heard he had 'hurt her' while at school, but details over their falling out were not given.

Mr Cunion, who lives with nine life-size dolls at his home in Christchurch, Dorset, researched births, deaths and marriage registers in order to find Mrs Taylor and obtained her wedding photo.

Obsessed Cunion also turned up at her old family home where her 88-year-old mother Georgina Allen still lived, a court heard.

Although Cunion was told to leave, he went on to send eight letters addressed to Ms Taylor to her mother's address.

He also went jogging past her mother's house every day over a four-month period and once even followed a woman he thought might be Ms Taylor from the property.

Ms Taylor, nee Allen, did not respond to his letters but she and her mother became concerned when Cunion made a joke about kidnapping her in one.

Mr Cunion pictured with one of the nine female dolls he lives with at home and calls 'family'

Cunion gives each of his dolls names and personalities and designates them family member roles such as sisters, a wife and a daughter

'Faina' is a doll Mr Cunion has owned. He said: 'We comfort each other in our shared suffering. We promised each other that, should either of us get married and/or have children, we will never live more than a short walk away from each other. A more wonderful sister I cannot imagine.'

Mr Cunion's doll 'Caroline'. This doll has been owned by Mr Cunion since 2004

Ms Taylor, from Christchurch, Dorset, reported the IT software engineer to the police.

Cunion initially denied his behaviour amounted to harassment but admitted one charge of stalking Ms Taylor, 62, and one of harassing her mother.

He was sentenced at Poole Magistrates Court to 120 hours of unpaid work and ten rehabilitation days, as well as the five-year restraining order which prevents him from contacting Ms Taylor or her mother and 'limited entry' to Ms Allen's road.

After his previous hearing Cunion said he felt 'stupid' over the matter.

He said: 'I upset her (Ms Taylor) when I was at school and it's haunted me for 50 years.

Mr Cunion said he 'felt stupid' after the stalking of his former school friend and did not mean to upset her

'I was determined to try to find out if she was okay but clearly I alarmed her.

'I wanted to find a way of making it up to her.

'Girls have to be able to reject guys they don't want and those guys have to accept that. For some reason I have not really been able to.

'It's a shame and I do feel really stupid about the whole thing.'

At the earlier hearing prosecutor Lee Turner explained Cunion's unrequited love for Ms Taylor began when he went to school with her between 1968 and 1972.

He said: 'They last saw each other on the last day of school in 1972. He wrote a letter to her in the early 1970s but it didn't reach her as her mother burnt it and in 1978 she received a letter from him but disposed of it and didn't reply.

A doll named 'June' in October 2018. Mr Cunion lives with nine dolls in total. He collects them

'Eleanor': Mr Cunion wrote: 'Unlike a real daughter, Eleanor will never leave home and be swept off her feet by a daring young fellow. There will be no fairy-tale wedding for her at the priory. She will never leave me.'

'The wife': Mr Cunion's first doll was called Rebecca and was shipped over from California California in what he said was an initiation 'for me a new life surrounded by life-size dolls'

'In May this year he went to the old family home and the door was answered by her 88-year-old mother.

'He started asking questions about her daughter and she immediately recognised him as the male who used to have an infatuation with her daughter at school.

'He tried to give her a letter but she said no and shut the door.

'A couple of days later post arrived addressed to Julie Allen, her maiden name, detailing how much he wanted to get in touch.

'He sent a further seven letters in May, June, July, August and September.

'He made reference to some gates that the mother had only just had installed and she started worrying he was watching the property.

'The letters started off short and over time became lengthier and more rambled.

'The fifth letter, in August, caused her to phone the police as he made reference to wanting to kidnap her. It was written in a light-hearted way saying his kidnapping days were done but it caused her alarm.

Mr Cunion admitted stalking but said it was never his intention to upset his former flame who he had not had contact with since 1972

'He also made reference to having researched her and knew little-known private details.

'In a letter in September he detailed an incident where he followed a female leaving the address on foot, believing it was Julie - it wasn't.

'She never replied to any letters.'

James Moore, defending, previously said Cunion intended 'no malice'

He said: 'Redundancy caused him to take stock of his life and all he wanted to do was see if he could rekindle a friendship with her.

'He realises that is not going to happen and since his arrest he hasn't engaged in any behaviour like this with Julie or her mother.

'He doesn't oppose a restraining order and is keen to draw a close to the matter.'