A MAN who harassed a woman to the point where she no longer felt safe in her own home, has been handed a suspended prison sentence and served with a 10-year restraining order.

Steven Jones, 29, had initially been on good terms with the complainant.

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Nuhu Gobir, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court of how, towards the end of last year, Jones - formerly of Victoria Road, Fleur-de-lis, near Blackwood - began sending the complainant unwanted gifts, such as flowers and a Christmas tree, which she returned and told him they were unwanted. He would also bombard her phone with messages and phone calls.

After an incident last December when he sent her several messages while she was away, “she told him to stop messaging her and that she felt like he was harassing her,” said Mr Gobir.

“He continued to message her.”

On December 13, the defendant was arrested for the first time on suspicion of stalking.

Mr Gobir also described two other occasions later that month when Jones' behaviour upset the woman, and added that when, in January, Jones was arrested for the second time, “he said he was the victim of harassment from her".

In a statement read in court, the complainant said “It’s just incident after incident. Some of the things might seem small to other people, but to me it’s causing me anxiety.

Defending counsel Kevin Seal told the court that "as far as he [Jones] is concerned, he has now seen the light and has no intention to contact her again".

"He is now living with his mother in Hengoed.

“He wishes there were some way he could turn the clock back. He knows he went too far.”

Mr Seal said Jones did not know why he committed the offences, but that lockdown had an adverse effect on his mental health, causing him to drink heavily.

Addressing Jones, Judge Wayne Beard said: “It is clear that you have been a blight upon her life and her confidence.

“You were persistent in your actions and this was over a long period of time. It persisted even after the involvement of the police.”

For a charge of stalking involving serious alarm and distress, the judge handed Jones an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years. He must complete 120 hours of unpaid work and 30 sessions of an accredited programme requirement.

He was made the subject of a 10-year restraining order, and for six months a curfew - meaning he must remain at his mother’s home, where he is currently living, from 8pm-6am.

The judge also ordered Jones pay £420 costs, and a £156 victim surcharge.