A gardener who smashed a wall with a kitchen stool and used expletive language to his ex-partner's mother has been spared jail.

Lewis Butterfield, 25, made abusive phone calls and sent explicit messages during a bitter custody fight earlier this year.

Butterfield, who is struggling to find work as a gardener, was also caught carrying cannabis when he was arrested by police on March 21.

He appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court today wearing a grey tracksuit.

Prosecutor Kate Prince said: "Mr Butterfield's relationship with his ex-partner broke down at the time their daughter was born.

"Since then their relationship has been acrimonious at best and Mr Butterfield assaulted her new partner.

"As a result of tensions being difficult between them she took out a non-molestation order against him."

The order prevented him from contacting his ex-partner directly or indirectly and attending her address, the court heard.

"He asked his mum if he could use her phone to contact his ex-partner and she refused," said Ms Prince.

"He picked up a kitchen stool and threw it at the wall."

Magistrates were shown a picture of two gaping holes in the wall next to a staircase where Butterfield had smashed it with the stool.

He also called his ex-partner several offensive names, the court heard.

Ms Prince told the court that on Sunday, March 19, Butterfield's ex-partner's mother received a call at 11am from the defendant, demanding to see his daughter, in which he used a string of expletives.

"When he was arrested he was found to be in a small quantity of cannabis," Ms Prince told the court.

Emma Thacker, defending, said: "Mr Butterfield just wants to spend quality time with his daughter.

"He feels very aggrieved and upset - he treasures the time he gets to spend with her.

"They weren't the most pleasant messages but they were born out of frustration."

Ms Thacker said he had 'made good' the damage to his mother's home, paying £700 to his friend who replastered the wall and repainted the house.

Butterfield, of White Eagle Road, admitted breaching a molestation order, sending a communication of an indecent/offensive nature, criminal damage and possession of cannabis.

He was handed a 16-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months for breaching the molestation order, which will run concurrently with an eight-week sentence suspended for 18 months for sending a malicious communication.

No penalty was imposed for the possession of cannabis or criminal damage charges.

The non-molestation order has been extended to the end of October when it will be reviewed in the family court.

Butterfield must also pay costs of £365 and complete 29 sessions of a Building Better Relationships programme.