A man who struggled to come to terms with the break-up of a relationship ran a campaign of harassment and threats to his ex-partner and her family.

Durham Crown Court heard that David Birks’ conduct began in February this year, after his partner ended their relationship of about eight years and left the home they shared in Peterlee.

Ian West, prosecuting, said she had become “fed up” with his changing moods and general behaviour, which she blamed on his drug use.

Mr West said Birks put posts on Facebook in which he tried to persuade his ex-partner’s mother to urge her daughter to resume the relationship.

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When there was no response, insulting messages began to follow, including some threatening her pet cats, saying they were “dead”.

Mr West said over the following weeks Birks’ threatening behaviour continued, despite him twice being arrested and warned over his conduct, both times being released “under investigation” by police.

“Each time, he simply went back to what he was doing before.”

When his ex-partner blocked him on social media he turned up at her mother’s address on February 28 at 4am, banging on windows and doors, asking for her to come out.

Mr West said although they spoke to him, urging him to leave “in no uncertain terms”, he only did so after pulling guttering from the house.

But it did not deter Birks who called or texted his former partner’s sister-in-law, her mother and her work colleagues, threatening to pour petrol through her letter box, as well as making other threats to harm her and to take his own life.

Mr West said Birks was arrested and bailed on March 1, but three weeks later he turned up at his ex-partner’s place of work awaiting her arrival at a large office complex, at 7.30am.

He relayed threats via a security officer who refused to allow him access, but when she arrived to start work, Mr West said there was a scene where Birks appeared to chase her around the car park while holding what looked like either a large stone or half-a-brick in his hand.

Mr West said she tried to keep her distance from him and he ended by throwing the object towards her.

In the meantime, Birks had begun contacting and relaying threats to his ex-partner’s father, who lived in Jersey, in the Channel Islands.

Mr West said although they were largely “empty threats” it was disconcerting for her father as he was too far away to be able to assist his daughter.

Upon his final arrest, Birks also damaged his police cell with a “dirty protest”, which required deep cleansing to make it usable again.

In his police interviews, Birks tried to explain his conduct and minimise his behaviour.

When he was subsequently spoken to by a probation officer he also made threats to kill a man with whom his ex-partner had begun a new relationship, as well as saying he would then take his own life.

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The 40-year-old defendant, of Hall Crescent, Horden, admitted making a threat to kill, stalking his former partner, criminal damage to both her mother’s guttering and to the police cell, plus malicious communication to her father.

Mr West said the defendant’s 18 convictions for 35 past offences include a number for damage, plus harassment and breaching a restraining order relating to a previous partner, after their break-up, in 2014.

Gary Wood, in mitigation, said although the defendant did not agree with all aspects of the latest allegations against him, “he accepts the main elements of the offences”.

Mr Wood told the court: “He has struggled to come to terms with the end of the relationship and the same thing happened with the previous relationship.

“His former partner moved on and formed a new relationship and that’s what he found most difficult to come to terms with.

“It’s impacted on his mental health, and that’s what happened when he was talking to the probation officer about his feelings that he was having.

“He confided with him but accepts the probation officer will have been concerned about what he was saying.

“In his mind, he was asking for help.”

Mr Wood said it has led to the defendant’s first taste of custody while on remand, which he has found, “incredibly difficult.”

But Mr Wood added that his client has been working with the prison drug and alcohol rehabilitation team, reducing his methadone script, in the hope he will eventually come out without any dependency.

Judge James Adkin told Birks that after the breakdown of his relationship he “bombarded” his ex-partner with messages of a threatening nature to her, her mother and father.

“You were twice arrested and released under investigation and at the time you have admitted you were addicted to crack cocaine.

Read next:

* County Durham man jailed for 'reprehensible' attack on former partner

* Chester-le-Street man left partner fearing she would die at his hands

* County Durham man put ex-partner through prolonged violent incident

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“It may go some way to explain the highly disinhibited way you behaved around that time.

“It was down to your inability to cope with the end of the relationship and your ‘punishment’ of your former partner because she had the audacity to end that relationship.”

Imposing a 21-month prison sentence, Judge Adkin also made Birks subject of a restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting or approaching his ex-partner, for ten years.