UNREQUITED love turned a student into a stalker and brought terror and depression to the life of his victim, a court heard.

When Leo McNeil fell for dancer Suzannah Welch, a fellow student at Harrogate College, he bombarded her with phone calls, letters and tapes. Then he attacked her boyfriend after forcing his way into her home.

Although Miss Welch spurned his advances he pursued her for nearly a year, Peter Pearson, prosecuting, told Harrogate magistrates.

McNeil, 22, began by sending love notes before making a series of telephone calls and leaving tapes of explicit recordings he had made.

When a relationship failed to develop, McNeil, of Franklin Mount, Harrogate, increased his attempts at physical contact and got himself arrested. He turned up outside both Miss Welch's home and her place of work, and continued to call her and leave notes, so she complained to police and McNeil was given a harassment warning.

After that his actions began to get more serious, said Mr Pearson. In June he met Miss Welch and her boyfriend, Steven Brennan, in the street in Harrogate and although she tried to avoid him, McNeil grabbed her from behind and threw her against railings before struggling with Mr Brennan.

A passing motorist stopped and took the couple to the police station even though McNeil tried to block the car's route.

Police decided not to take any action as McNeil was receiving treatment at Harrogate District Hospital's mental health unit. Within days the phone calls began again. In August, McNeil turned up at Miss Welch's home. He forced his way in and there was a struggle with Mr Brennan who tried to prevent McNeil getting upstairs to where a terrified Miss Welch was getting changed.

McNeil grabbed Mr Brennan round the neck and he had to use a steel bar to end the attack, splitting McNeil's head open with it.

After he had pleaded guilty to harassing Miss Welch and assaulting her boyfriend, the Crown withdrew a further charge of causing Miss Welch actual bodily harm.

Presiding magistrate Judith Thomas ordered probation and psychiatric reports and McNeil will be sentenced on October 23. He was bailed in the meantime on condition he stays away from Miss Welch's house and does not try to contact her in any way.