A YOUNG woman told a court that she found it 'weird and a bit strange' when she began to receive letters and cards from a former work colleague she hardly knew.

Nila Spencer said that she met Mark Wittingham when both worked at the Canadian Pizza Factory in Deeside.

But the only contact she had with him was when she had to show him what to do when he joined the company.

A few weeks later she left and began working for a travel firm - and she received a good luck card and a letter from him.

She ignored it at first but was then inundated with letters, invitations and cards, and presents, not only at her place of work but also at her home, Flintshire magistrates' court at Mold was told.

Wittingham, 40, of Sutton Lane, Guilden Sutton near Chester, initially denied harassment between June 2001 and April of his year and a trial started.

But part way through Miss Spencer's evidence he changed his plea to guilty.

Sentence was adjourned for a presentence report.

Crown prosecutor David Boycott told how the victim had been inundated with numerous letters, gifts, invitations and cards.

Furthermore, the defendant approached her on at least two occasions.

Once, he went up to her and said 'There is something that I have always wanted to do' and against her wishes, kissed her on the cheek.

She was obviously very distressed and ran off.

'The matter is more sinister than simply sending her unwanted cards and gifts to her place of employment,' Mr Boycott explained.

'She will tell you that earlier this year she started receiving letters, cards and gifts at her home address which she had not given to the defendant. Again, she found that very distressing.'

Miss Spencer was adamant that she had never replied to any of the letters and cards and approached the police, who issued him with an harassment warning.

Despite the police warning, the harassment continued with further correspondence.

Arrested and interviewed, Wittingham claimed they had started off a friendship while they both worked at the Canadian Pizza Factory.

While they worked together, he wrote to her on two occasions, he claimed, and when she left four weeks later, he had not seen her until June last year.

He alleged they had met in Chester and they arranged to meet 'to clear the air'. No meeting took place because she did not turn up so he wrote to her again.

In his interview, he went on to admit sending 21 letters and gifts to her over the period in question.

Despite his requests for her to meet him, she had never turned up.

He further alleged that some of his letters had a sexual connotation to them but he said that he did that to try and get a reaction from her.

At the end of the interview, he told the police he understood how his actions could have been construed as harassment and he was charged.

In her evidence, Miss Spencer told how they had never struck up any relationship at all. 'I hardly know him,' she explained.