JAIL MAN WHO BOMBARDED EX WITH MESSAGES
A domestic violence offender who assaulted his pregnant partner was jailed after he engaged in stalking her weeks after serving time in prison previously.Ian Kirkwood, 39 years old, violated the terms of a five-year ban by sending messages and monitoring his ex-girlfriend’s social media profiles.
During the court hearing at Norwich Magistrates’ Court, it was noted that the woman had become increasingly fearful of his conduct.
“He will do whatever it takes to find me.
I have been distraught over what he has done to me but I know it is just fun and games to him.” She added: “He told me no-one would stop him doing what he wanted.” Kirkwood, of the Street in Lenwade, pleaded guilty to breaches of the restraining order between March 12 and May 3.
Prosecutors said he had used a series of alternative WhatsApp log-ins to remotely access her accounts.
Magistrates sentenced him to 10 months after finding his offences were aggravated by still being on licence at the time.
The "persistent" and “deliberate” breaches came following his release from HMP Norwich after serving a five month sentence.
James Burrows, defending, argued the messaging had been limited and sent "erroneously".
“He has struggled with the deterioration of the relationship and how to come to terms with it and what to do,” he said.
“He intended no malice and the messages were not threatening or abusive.” Kirkwood had been in a relationship with the woman for six years before it came to an end in September last year.
He was initially jailed for a stalking campaign when he sent 1,127 WhatsApp messages and made 72 calls to her over four days.
