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Jude Le Grice, a 33-year-old opera singer from Newlyn who became infatuated
with a female soprano, is facing prison after breaching a lifetime restraining
order, by turning up at her house on St Valentine's Day.
Le Grice was served with the order after he waged a bizarre harassment
campaign against Rebecca Norton after falling in love with her voice.
He showered her with gifts including a new Jaguar car, a stolen engagement
ring and a tailor's dummy wearing a wedding dress.
At one stage Le Grice, a trained tree surgeon, turned up at Miss Norton's
family home in a mechanical digger and planted a 30ft ash tree with a
pink ribbon tied round it, in the front garden.
In October 2002 he admitted charges of harassment, and magistrates at
Blandford placed a lifetime restraining order on him, to stop him going
near the 25-year-old woman.
However, the bass singer breached the order when he turned up three times
at the home of Miss Norton's parents in Blandford St Mary, Dorset.
He first went to the property on July 19 last year and returned on July
27, but Miss Norton was not at home on either occasion.
His last visit was on St Valentine's Day this year, when he asked to
see Miss Norton but was told to leave the premises by her father, Michael
Brown.
On Thursday Le Grice pleaded guilty to three charges of breaching the
restraining order when he appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court.
He was remanded in custody and the hearing was adjourned for a date to
be fixed for pre-sentence psychiatric reports.
The court had heard that Le Grice first met Miss Norton while they were
both receiving private singing tuition from the renowned opera singer
Sheila Luxon. He became infatuated with her from the moment he heard her
singing at Ms Luxon's house in Canterbury, Kent in 1999. In the following
three years he regularly turned up at her parents' home.
Ms Luxon recalled the time the singers met. "He met Rebecca at my
house one time and seemed to fall in love with her voice," she said.
"That is how and where it all started, and he became totally obsessed
with her."
article copyright © THE CORNISHMAN
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