A PENSIONER who was spared jail after committing a sex act on a horse has appeared in court again after he was spotted approaching and stroking ponies.

David Walter Chamberlin was banned from approaching tethered animals as part of a sexual offences prevention order imposed after he admitted outraging public decency by committing a lewd act with a horse last year.

However, the 71-year-old was back before Teesside Magistrates’ Court to admit six breaches of the order after witnesses saw the pensioner with ponies on several days in May.

The ponies were tethered on waste land in the Middlesbrough area.

District Judge Kristina Harrison adjourned the hearing for a psychiatric report to be completed on the retired farmworker, of Hartington Road, Stockton.

She said: “I want to know why you are behaving in the manner you are... to get to the root cause of this behaviour.

“You now can’t go within five metres of a horse and that has been done to prevent you committing further offences.

“If you breach the order you will be arrested, brought before the court and it is likely that you will be remanded in custody. It is really important you abide by the conditions of the order.”

In December, Chamberlin was given a 24-month community order at the same court after admitting he led a horse into bushes and committed a sex act.

He was caught when the owner of the horse spotted Chamberlin acting suspiciously in a field in Billingham, near Stockton.

The farmer saw the animal’s head being pulled down towards Chamberlin’s groin. Shocked and disgusted, he hit Chamberlin with a stick, which caused the horse to run off, dragging Chamberlin across the field with it.

The hearing was adjourned until October 29 when a pre-sentence report and psychiatric report will be available before sentence is passed.