A JEALOUS man who stamped on his former partner's face during a campaign of harassment has been jailed for 26 weeks.

Joseph Powell stalked the woman, sending her threatening messages, despite having been made subject to a restraining order.

And the 26-year-old told her he would 'walk away smiling' saying the police would let him 'walk away a caution' because of his history of mental health issues.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court Powell was given a conditional discharge by magistrates for criminal damage, in April, along with a restraining order.

In a jealous rage he said he smashed a hole in her living room wall and threatened to smash in her windows.

"He then sent a text message saying 'All the police will do iS let me walk away with a caution because of my mental history: they will let me get away with it and I will walk away smiling'," said Mr Meeke.

"So it was the defendant continued to make contact with her. There was some minor contact and by May 20 he was phoning and texting again asking where she was."

He said she had been on a night out with friends, including an ex she was still pals with, and spent the night at his Moredon home.

When Powell texted and called asking where she was she lied, saying she was at home, but the following morning he sent the man a text saying he was 'going to get it'.

He then turned up at the house and repeatedly bashed on the windows, smashing a couple of panes, as he hurled abuse at them.

By the time the police arrived he had left and after she left he sent a text saying 'Good luck when you get home, I have posted you a little something through the door'.

Although that threat appeared baseless he turned up on her doorstep crying, before forcing his way into the house and attacking her.

He repeatedly punched her to the face about 12 times as she fell to the ground, where he stamped on her face with force and also smashed her iPhone.

As she tried to run away he chased after he with a broken chair leg with exposed nails and smashed up numerous other items in her house.

Mr Meeke said: "As the police arrived his vile language to her turned in to 'I'm sorry, I love you'."

Powell, who is homeless, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm, two counts of breaching a restraining order and two of criminal damage.

Alex Daymond, defending, said there was a lengthy psychiatric background to the case as he had post traumatic stress disorder as a result of his heroin addict mother dying when he was 13 years old.

Jailing him Recorder Malcolm Gibney said: "You engaged in a viscous assault on your former partner in May of this year, punching her about the face on more than one occasion and stamping on her face. That was on the back of a relationship that ended some time before."

He also imposed a restraining order preventing him from having contact with her for five years.