A STALKER pulled a bollard out of the ground and tried to smash his way into Foss Park Hospital with a metal pole, York magistrates heard.

Colette Dixon, prosecuting, said Michael Anthony Burke, 56, told police: “Emotional strength is the same as physical strength”.

His persistent unwanted attentions at her place of work had left a supermarket employee afraid both at work and when walking home.

“I am petrified of seeing him,” she told police.

As he waited for his case to be called on, Burke could be heard making noises in the court cells below.

Burke, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to unconnected offences of criminal damage to a bollard on July 16, stalking between July 22 and July 28, being drunk and disorderly on July 30 and criminal damage costing £1,000 at Foss Park Hospital and two failures to attend court.

Ms Dixon said medical staff had assessed Burke as having full mental capacity and that his behaviour “was due to his personality”.

Louise Berry, for Burke, said “He is not able to give a reason why he committed the offences.”

He had had an “unspecified” diagnosis of psychoses some years ago and took medication to “calm himself down”.

He had "followed his heart" when the supermarket employee had helped him once to scan his goods.

Magistrates adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report and remanded Burke in custody to appear via video link to a prison later this month.

Ms Dixon said Burke pulled the bollard out of the ground in Harrogate town centre when he was punching street furniture. He also threw bricks from its base around.

On September 1, he bashed the front doors of the hospital in the early hours as he tried to get inside.