Stalker jailed and banned from Ottery St Mary
Court Reporter
Exeter Crown Court. - Credit: Archant
A stalker has been jailed and banned from entering Ottery St Mary after he repeatedly flouted an order to leave his ex-partner alone.
Ian Gillard sent her Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram messages and followed her car when he saw her driving with another man.
He sent police on a wild goose chase by giving them an old address when they were trying to find the phone he used to send the messages.
His ex-girlfriend was left frightened and upset after a final confrontation on which he called her a whore, Exeter Crown Court was told.
Gillard, aged 31, of Lych Gate, Copplestone, admitted two counts of breaching a non-molestation order and was jailed for six months by Judge David Evans.
The sentence is likely to lead to his immediate release because he has been remanded in custody since October.
The judge also made a five-year restraining order banning any further contact with the victim and banning him from going to her address in Ottery St Mary or entering the town other than as part of his job as a delivery driver.
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The judge told him he was sly for misleading the police and said: “You used the tactic of emotional blackmail by asking for help.
“You knew exactly what you were doing. These breaches are examples of a possessive and jealous man who could not let things pass.”
Felicity Payne, prosecuting, said the woman was Gillard’s partner for about 18 months until they split up last year and she obtained a non-molestation order in the family court in March.
Gillard broke it repeatedly in June and July with social media messages, many of which tried to get her to contact him by saying he needed her help.
He was arrested and bailed by police but on September 29 she was driving in Exeter with another man when she noticed his van following them.
She stopped in Hoker Road and there was a confrontation in which he shouted abuse and threats, including calling her a whore. She made an impact statement saying she was sick of all the hassle and drama.
Lee Bremridge, defending, said Gillard now accepts the relationship was over and he was wrong to pursue it in the way he did. He has written a letter of apology to the judge.
