‘You need to sort yourself out’ – dad locked up after inundating ex with 881 text messages – Teesside Live

A dad has been put behind bars for inundating his ex-partner with more than 800 text messages.

Kenneth Cooper was handed a restraining order against the “petrified” woman six years ago.

However that didn’t stop the 52-year-old from contacting the victim up to 40 times a day when he was released from prison.

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Teesside Crown Court heard how he made contact with her the same day he was released on licence from a previous custodial sentence.

Martin Towers, prosecuting, told the court: “She received up to 40 text messages a day from him.

“Messages tended to start at 8 o’clock in the morning and would continue until about nine or 10 o’clock at night.”

He said the victim reported him to police after receiving 881 messages between December 31 2019 and January 27 last year.

Mr Towers said: “There were five replies from her.”

The court heard how he was previously jailed for 16 months in August 2019 for breaching the restraining order.

Two victim impact statements were provided to the court by his former partner of 35 years.

Mr Towers said that in the first one, the woman said she was petrified of the defendant and wants him to leave her alone.

He said that in the second victim impact statement, the woman says that, due to his behaviour, she cannot get on with her life.

Mr Towers said: “She’s spent the last six years constantly living in fear of him and what he’s going to do next.

“She complains the judicial system does not seem to be working in this case. While she has restraining order the defendant really hasn’t taken any attention of that order what so ever.

“She feels as a victim she’s an after thought and the defendant is the priority within the judicial system.”

Cooper appeared at the court room on Monday afternoon via a video link to Durham prison.

The defendant, of Cornhill Walk, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to breaching a restraining order and harassment.

Paul Green, defending, told the court how Cooper releases that, upon his release, he will have to engage with agencies.

He said that the risk of him reoffending will reduce if he continues to abstain from alcohol.

Recorder Ata Dallas told Cooper that since 2015 he has been repeatedly before the court for harassing his former partner and breaching the restraining order.

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He told him that he was somebody who, until he sorted himself out, she would only be safe from when he was locked up.

The judge said: “I have read a sample of the messages, they’re not just neutral communications with her, which would be bad enough because your not supposed to be, but some of them are sexual in tone and you are tormenting her with your inability to let go.”

Recorder Dallas sentenced Cooper to 28 months behind bars.

He told him: “You’re destroying your own life but more concerning for the court you’re also destroying hers.

“You need to sort yourself out, get over her and get over this whole business.”

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