A man left his ex-partner feeling like a "total recluse" after bombarding her with abusive messages and calls during a campaign of harassment.
Liam Teruel threatened to "end" his former partner, called her fat and said he would "blow up" her business premises after she ended their relationship due to his "toxic behaviour". As well as sending abusive calls and messages, the 29-year-old turned up to the woman's home and even followed her in a car during his offending which was carried out between August 1 and 17 this year.
Teruel, of Rocket Way, Forest Hall, Newcastle, appeared at Newcastle's Moot Hall on Wednesday via link from HMP Hull to be sentenced for putting a person in fear of violence by harassment. He had pleaded guilty to the offence at a previous hearing.
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The court heard that Teruel and the woman had been in a relationship which ended in April this year due to his "toxic behaviour", but the pair went on to have contact with each other that July. But by August, the woman had reached the stage where she wanted to cut ties with him due to his ongoing behaviour. It was soon after that Teruel began harassing her.
Joe Hedworth, prosecuting, said: "The defendant sent her abusive messages saying 'fat little stinking c*** I'm going to end you' and 'you're getting put to bed'. He called her on the phone and threatened to attend her home and punch her all over the place."
Teruel then went to the woman's home and repeatedly kicked at her door whilst shouting "fat sl**" and demanding to know who else was in the house. He later called her again and told her he would "make her life hard".
Mr Hedworth said during the offending, which lasted a period of around two weeks, Teruel left threatening messages, audio messages and also sent her an "intimate picture" of her. On August 10 he again went to her house and banged on her door before leaving. He also approached her as she was sitting in her car at a Gosforth McDonald's and "asked where she'd been".
The court was told Teruel also followed her vehicle in a Ford Mondeo and "repeatedly drove in front" before throwing an object at her car. He was later arrested and released on bail, but he continued to harass her. Mr Hedworth said he went on to send her 40 emails and made 20 phone calls from withheld numbers. He called her another 20 times on another day and sent more abusive messages from a fake Instagram account. He also threatened to "blow up" her shop.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said she was "constantly riddled with anxiety and worried about what was going to happen". She said Teruel made her "daily life hard" and she was unable to work as he would turn up to her business premises. She added she became "a total recluse". The court was told Teruel had three previous convictions, including for drug related offences, and had received a three year prison sentence.
Brian Mark, defending, told the court Teruel has mental health issues, including an "emotionally unstable personality disorder". He said: "This is not a man with a history of behaviour such as this. He has been remanded in custody for some time." Mr Mark added Teruel will "never contact" the woman again and said his psychological issues "could and should be addressed".
Sentencing Teruel, Recorder Mark Giuliani jailed him for 27 months and imposed a 10 year restraining order.
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