COUNCIL staff in York can breathe a sign of relief after a former council tenant revealed he was set to leave the area.

Last August, the city's magistrates banned Sean William Schofield, 41, from harrassing anyone working for the local authority or North Yorkshire Police after hearing how he had made nuisance calls to staff. But within weeks of the restraining order being made, two council employees complained to police that he had been intimidating to them on the phone.

Self-employed Schofield, of Ardsley House, Del Pike, The Groves, York, pleaded guilty to breaking the order, but announced that he intended to appeal against his conviction. He claims he was coerced into admitting the offence at an earlier hearing by threats of a remand in jail.

Even before a 12-month conditional discharge sentence was passed on him, he announced he would appeal against that as well.

"I will be relocating out of the area," he said. "I can't throw any more time or money at this case."

He told magistrates that he had merely been trying to get the council staff to do their job and claimed that he was a victim of a conspiracy between the council, police and local estate agents involving equity and property prices.

He bought his home, a former council flat, under the Right To Buy scheme, and had persistently complained to the authorities about the activities of tenants in a nearby property. He made allegations against the council and claimed he had been the victim of a vendetta by unspecified people because he had bought his council property.

He also claimed the court case against him had gone on so long he was on the verge of bankruptcy and his home was due to be repossessed.

Magistrates insisted he pay £290 towards the costs of the court case when the restraining order was made.

They decided against ordering him to pay the costs of the case brought for breaching the order.

He said he had no money and suggested they make the £290 bill a charge on his property.

Their legal advisor, Daniel Fischbach, told them they had no such power.

Updated: 10:25 Friday, April 29, 2005