A MAN harassed his former partner by bombarding her with calls and text messages before sending her sister a sexual image, a court has heard.

Aaron Clark called the woman 'fat, ugly and a slag' as well as threatening to 'blow up her house' and 'slash her up' in a series of angry messages.

But the court heard the case had been adjourned on several occasions as the defendant called on the police to look at all the messages between the pair of them to get the full picture of their relationship.

Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, said Clark had been in a relationship with the woman for four years before it came to an end in August 2018.

He said the defendant started to follow his victim and abuse her in the street before he was made subject of restraining order to keep him away from her.

Mr Soppitt said his harassment began again on his release from prison – at first they were anonymous but then he told his former partner who it was.

He said: "There were hundreds of messages that were good natured and then there was some messages that weren't. There were messages claiming she was having sex with relatives, which caused her upset.

"He threatened to blow up her house, threatened to stamp on her throat and slash her up."

The court heard that the campaign of abuse took place over a six-month period and only came to an end when Clark was arrested in May this year and remanded into custody.

Clark, formerly of Ellerbeck Way, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to harassment, breaching his restraining order and sending a sexual image.

In mitigation, Gary Wood, said the defendant accepted some of his messages were inappropriate but the vast majority were shared between the pair were of a friendly nature.

Mr Wood said his client had been determined to have all of the messages brought before the court to prove that there had been significant communication between the pair that was not of a distressing or threatening nature.

He said: "There was inappropriate behaviour and it caused distress at the time and he accepts that he was under the influence at the time."

The court heard how both parties could be jealous of each other and that sometimes spiralled into abusive messages.

Judge Howard Crowson said: "It is understandable that she was upset when you consider the awful things that were said or when threatening things were said."

Clark was sentenced to a two-year community order with 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days attached.

He was also made subject of trail monitoring requirement for six months which is used to track his movements 24 hours a day.