A 41-year-old man who breached a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his ex-girlfriend has been put on probation for a year.

Steven Paul Wheeler turned up at the woman’s home after walking from Douglas to Peel.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that a 12 month restraining order was issued on April 30.

Despite this, Wheeler, who lives at Woodville Terrace in Douglas, walked to Peel on June 12 and arrived at his ex’s home at around 1am.

She told him to leave and he was later arrested outside Peel Police Station at 1.35am.

Wheeler told officers: ‘It’s my fault. I went to the address.

‘If I wasn’t such an idiot I’d be alright.

‘I don’t know why I do such stupid things.’

After being taken to police headquarters and charged, he responded by saying: ‘I’m going to prison so I’m not really a*sed, whatever.’

Mr Swain submitted that the case was suitable for summary court sentencing.

Defence advocate Ian Kermode said that his client had accepted the restraining order voluntarily in April, but had not been convicted of anything as the prosecution had offered no evidence and the case had been dismissed.

Mr Kermode said that there had been no suggestion that Wheeler had made any threats to the woman or intended to cause harm when he went to her home on June 12, and that he had only wanted to talk to her about their relationship.

The advocate went on to say that Wheeler had rang the police himself to tell them that he was outside the station.

A probation report said that Wheeler had met his victim on an online dating site and that the relationship had lasted three years.

Wheeler claimed that he got mixed messages at times, but added that he was not using this as an excuse.

He said that when he got a thought in his head he found it difficult to subdue it, and that he was quite impulsive, which he said was why he had walked to his ex’s home on the night in question.

The report said that Wheeler was motivated to engage with probation, and this would be beneficial for him, as it would enable him to work on things such as victim awareness.

Magistrates also ordered the defendant to pay £125 prosecution costs at a rate of £30 per fortnight, deducted from benefits.

The restraining order remains in place until April 2025.