A Stoke Newington-based detective who stalked a Harrods shop assistant should be barred from the police, according to a judge who put a restraining order on him last week.

Det Con James Petevinou, of Ashburton Triangle, Drayton Park, has been suspended by the Met since he was charged in June for harassing Rubab Javaid at the department store in west London in February.

Petevinou, 47, was depressed after breaking up with his partner and went to the store five times in one month, two of which he was not seen by Miss Javaid – who is in her 20s – but was later picked out on CCTV.

At a trial at Westminster Magistrates Court in October in which Petevinou was found guilty of harassment, Ms Javaid told the court that she had feared for her life because of the attention from the detective, who had asked her to go abroad with him and if he could kiss her.

Petevinou, who said he had no bad intentions and was suffering from “severe loneliness”, was given a two-year restraining order banning him from entering Harrods or contacting Ms Javaid, as well as being ordered to pay £930 costs and complete 180 hours of unpaid work when he was sentenced on Thursday last week.

Judge Elizabeth Roscoe, sentencing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, said: “I must say that I do not think that it is appropriate that you should continue as a serving police officer and I make that view here in open court because I think it would be neglectful if I did not.

“This is, I accept, a very sad case and I accept that I have read very positive character references and that there has been distress and health issues as far as you are concerned, and considerable loneliness.”

Judge Roscoe said an aggravating factor in the offence was that Petevinou had flashed a police warrant in front of the two complainants and other witnesses.

Petevinou, who joined the police in 1995 as a civilian and has worked as a detective for more than 10 years, was supported by a number of his colleagues in court.

Heather Oliver, defending, said: “Whatever the court decides it’s likely he will lose his job. Loss of that profession will be punishment itself.”

A spokesman for the Met said Petevinou remained suspended pending the result of a misconduct hearing.