A man branded ‘weird and creepy’ by his ex-partner has been locked up after a campaign of harassment following their break up.

Carl Haley would regularly turn up at his former home and let himself in without permission and on one occasion threatened to kill himself when she demanded he leave.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 52-year-old had been in a relationship with his victim for 25 years before it came to an end late last year.

Chris Morrison, prosecuting, said the defendant had made at least a dozen impromptu visits to his former home and would refuse to leave.

Describing what happened on one occasion, he said: “He went into the kitchen area and he took hold of a knife. He was holding it to his own stomach saying – ‘look, I will kill myself’.

“This upset her greatly and caused her to cry. She was also concerned for her own safety because there had been previous domestic incidents.”

Mr Morrison said there were two other incidents which took place after he had been released on police bail, on one occasion he charged at her.

On another occasion, he let himself into her home and she found him sitting on his sofa and described his behaviour as ‘weird and creepy’.

Haley, formerly of Marton Burn Road, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to stalking with intent to cause harassment between January and March this year; possession of a kitchen knife; two charges of possession of cannabis; possession of amphetamine; and stalking without violence.

Shaun Dryden, mitigating, said his client had struggled to accept this longstanding relationship had finally come to end last year.

He added: “It seems that after 25 years and two children, (the victim) has had enough of the defendant and his behaviour.

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“Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to accept that the relationship was at an end.”

Mr Dryden said Haley had spent two months on remand – the equivalent of a four months in custody.

Judge Timothy Stead jailed the defendant up for ten months and issued him with a five-year restraining order.

He said: “What you were doing was rendering the life of her a misery for weeks. Turning up uninvited, sitting down as though all was right in the world but also being somewhat menacing.”