A PARK South man has narrowly avoided being sent to prison after pleading guilty to harassing his former partner.

John Loveridge, 46, of Caxton Close, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court charged with one count of harassment without violence.

The court heard that since breaking up with his partner of two and a half years three months ago, Loveridge had subjected her to a number of unwanted telephone calls and intimidating visits to her home.

Kate Prince, prosecuting, said: “In October, the victim received a phone call from Mr Loveridge in which he was verbally abusive to her and said he was going to damage her car.”

Ms Prince also outlined an incident where Loveridge, frustrated that his former partner was not answering the phone, sent a threatening text message.

It read: “Ok, don’t answer, I’m going to smash your house up.”

The victim and her friends were out at the time and returned to the house on hearing of the threat.

There they found Loveridge in the property. He appeared very drunk and the police were called.

On another occasion, he contacted a friend of his former partner and said that if he couldn’t have her, he was going to kill her.

Ms Prince added: “The victim quite simply wants the contact to stop.”

The court heard that Loveridge had a previous conviction for domestic assault in 2009 against a different partner – on that occasion he was made to attend a relationship skills course as part of his sentence.

The chairman of the bench remarked that perhaps the course had not made the lasting impression one would have hoped for.

Gordon Hotson, defending Loveridge, told the court that his client accepted he had been harassing in his actions but that he disputed ever making a threat to kill his former partner.

He said: “The comments were made foolishly, when he was in a distressed state and unfortunately, in drink.

“The defendant believed, due to the contact they were having and the time they were spending together, that their relationship could be rekindled.”

He said that Loveridge now accepts that the relationship is over.

Loveridge was told that the sentencing guidelines placed the offending in the custody range, but that his guilty plea and his commitments to move forward with his life, meant that it could be dealt with by way of a community penalty.

He was given a 12 month community order during which he will have to carry out 60 hours of unpaid word in the community in addition to 20 days of rehabilitation activity under the direction of a probation officer.

Magistrates also imposed a 12 month restraining order banning him from having any contact, indirect or otherwise, with his former partner.