'For goodness sake, let the past go': Judge's warning to 'pain in the neck' who harassed his ex on Facebook

A man who admitted harassing his former partner online has been warned by a judge to let go of the past, or go back to prison.
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David Walker was given a five-year restraining order in 2017 for attacking the woman and causing actual bodily harm, but has been jailed three times since for breaching the order.

Appearing at Leeds Crown Court this week from custody, the 48-year-old admitted another breach of the order, and a charge of harassment.

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Prosecutor John Hobley said that Walker's former partner received a Facebook message from him on July 18 last year, apologising for the assault in 2017.

Walker used Facebook to harass the woman.Walker used Facebook to harass the woman.
Walker used Facebook to harass the woman.

He then sent more messages on November 24 last year, but deleted them before the recipient had chance to read them.

Walker then sent another message on January 21 from an account under a different name, asking for forgiveness.

He then posted derogatory comments about her, calling her names and mocking a serious illness she had, before asking her for a second chance.

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Mr Hobley told the court that the messages had caused a great deal of stress, anxiety and sleeplessness for his ex partner.

Walker, of Weeland Lock Mews, Knottingley, has 16 convictions for 21 offences, including four for violence and the three previous breaches of the restraining order.

For those he received 12 weeks, then four months and finally 26 weeks' jail respectively.

No mitigation was presented to the court after Judge Rodney Jameson QC said he would not be sending him immediately to jail again.

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He said: "Try to get on with your life without being a pain in the neck to your former partner.

"It's having a very serious effect on her.

"This is the best way of protecting the complainant, because you will go straight back to prison if you breach it any further.

"For goodness sake, let the past go."

He was given a a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years, and a further five-year restraining order starting from this week.