CHARITY workers fear the number of donations could suffer following an incident that led to a former service user being given a restraining order.

Steven William Haddow was said to have made threats to a Mind charity worker while she was handing out collection buckets at Ulverston Indoor Market.

The 31-year-old defendant admitted a charge of causing harassment, alarm or distress using threatening or abusive language when he appeared at South Cumbria Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

The court was told Haddow harassed Ulverston Mind service manager Jan Quinn when she was giving out the buckets at the market on May 16.

The market trader who was given the bucket was also a target of Haddow's abuse and gave it back to avoid further abuse, the court heard.

In a victim impact statement read out to the court, the charity worker said Haddow could have put off other traders from collecting for Mind.

She said: "I believe Haddow' actions could lead to it being more difficult to fundraise in town.

"It could have a knock on effect for Mind fundraisers and volunteers."

The victim said she heard swearing from the man when he approached her at the market and heard swearing.

"I felt shocked and alarmed," she said.

Prosecutor Pam Ward told the court the man had been known previously to Ulverston Mind after he made a number of 'abusive' phone calls to the charity offices.

She said the victim left the Mind office to hand out the buckets to traders at around 9.15am on the day to hand out the buckets and was approached again later in the day

In mitigation, defence solicitor Maureen Fawcett said there had been a pattern of offences by Haddow involving the Mind charity in 2001, 2015 and 2019, when he told an officer he wanted to burn down the Mind offices while being questioned on the harassment charge.

She said the defendant suffered with depression and anxiety and had Asperger's and had struggled to receive help for his mental health issues.

"He was really crying out for help but is now getting help."

Haddow, of Leather Lane in Ulverston, was given an order preventing him contacting the victim or any other Mind workers.

Magistrates also ordered him not to go within five metres of the Ulverston Mind office in Queen Street.

The defendant received a £120 fine and was told to pay a £30 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.