A CARLISLE man narrowly escaped a jail sentence after he bombarded his former partner with unwanted - and at times threatening - online messages in the wake of their failed 17-year relationship.

The city’s Rickergate Magistrates’ Court heard that David Ridley, 43, became ‘obsessed’ with whether his former partner was seeing another man.

This was despite the couple separating in December of 2016, the court heard.

Defence lawyer John Smith said the defendant had not known where he stood at the time he committed the offences.

Ridley, of Reeth Road, Carlisle, admitted harassing the woman between Monday, July 6, and Wednesday, July 12.

Prosecutor Andy Travers said that the woman said she ended her relationship with Ridley in December of 2016.

Yet the defendant had taken to “constantly” messaging her, accusing her of being with other men when she was not, she said.

On July 5, she went to the police to ask them for advice because she did not wish to have any more contact with him.

She told him: “We need to cut contact between the two of us as it’s really unhealthy for us all.”

Despite that message, on July 6, she received 62 WhatsApp messages from him and 15 WhatsApp calls.

He used that message platform, she said, because she had already blocked him from all of her other social media accounts.

“I am terrified of what he is capable of,” said the woman. In a one week period, he sent her 204 WhatsApp messages and made 113 phone calls to her.

The woman went on to describe how the defendant made certain threats and how he accused her of being in a relationship with one of her neighbours.

She said: “I should not have to answer to him.... It’s exhausting my mental health and I don’t think I can take it any more.”

When Ridley was interviewed by the police, he claimed that he did not want anything to do with the woman.

He did not think that his behaviour amounted to harassment.

Mr Travers said the defendant was ‘lightly convicted,’ with just two offences - a common assault from 2017 and a drink driving from 2013.

Mr Smith, for Ridley, told magistrates: “It’s a harassment without violence - making a lot of phone calls and sending messages in the space of a week or so.”

The lawyer said that the relationship between Ridley and the woman had been ‘on and off’ and that he had not known where he stood.

He added: “He now knows the relationship is over; and hasn’t caused any problems since realising that.

“He understands now that it is finished. He’s come to terms with that.”

Magistrates imposed eight weeks jail but suspended the sentence for a year, accepting that what happened was an isolated incident.

Ridley must observe an eight week curfew, between 9pm and 6am and pay a £128 victim surcharge. They also imposed a restraining order banning any contact with his victim.

The presiding magistrate said certain threats Ridley made were a “horrible thing to do” and added: “You have come very, very close today to going to jail.”