DARWEN MAN JAILED FOR HARASSING EX-PARTNER OVER FOUR MONTHS
A man named Christopher Thomas O’Brien, aged 39 and residing on Sudellside Street in Darwen, was convicted of harassment after a court hearing at Blackburn Magistrates.He had engaged in a four-month campaign of harassment against his former partner, which included bombarding her with messages and calls, maintaining the behavior despite being repeatedly instructed to stop.
O’Brien admitted to the harassment and was sentenced to a 12-month community order, which included 25 days of rehabilitative activities and 100 hours of unpaid work.
Additionally, he was ordered to pay £85 in costs.
The court also imposed a restraining order preventing any contact with the victim for two years, allowing only contact through a third party for child-related matters.
District Judge Alexandra Preston expressed her satisfaction that for several months O’Brien continued to harass his ex-partner via phone calls and by driving past her house, stating, 'You seem to have been obsessed with the idea that she was in a relationship and you wouldn’t let it go.
You should have stopped contacting her when she told you to.' Prosecutor Graeme Tindall revealed that some messages referenced child contact, while others contained derogatory language, calling the victim a “lying bitch” and a “little slag.” O’Brien claimed he was trying to communicate with his ex-partner after she accused him of various accusations, saying, 'I was ringing back to try and get my point across.
If I had thought about it a bit more I wouldn’t have made so many calls.' The judge and prosecutor emphasized the obsessive nature of his behavior and its impact on the victim.
