Man jailed for harassment

A MAN who bombarded his former girlfriend with texts and threatened to pour petrol through her letterbox three months after their relationship ended has been jailed.

Dyfed-Powys Police acted swiftly when Wayne Holmes, of Station Road, Llanelli, was reported to have sent his ex a significant number of messages which caused her to fear living in her own home.

Just a day after being contacted by the victim on Sunday, November 1, officers had arrested, secured a charge and remanded the 41-year-old to appear at court, where he was jailed.

Llanelli Sergeant Ching Yip said: “The victim reported ongoing harassment by her ex-partner Wayne Holmes on Sunday, and enquiries were immediately commenced to locate him.

“He was found by officers hiding in an airing cupboard at his home, and was arrested.

“On arrest, he claimed he had lost his phone a few days before. However, a search was authorised and the phone was found hidden under a chest of drawers.

“It was also discovered that he had set up a CCTV camera facing the victim’s house, which drove her to the point of moving into a friend’s house.”

Messages on the victim’s phone were reviewed by officers, and indicated threats of violence and damage. The defendant made claims he would put petrol through the victim’s letterbox, and said he was outside her property at the time.

The victim told police he would send almost identical messages as texts and via WhatsApp to ensure she received them.

Sgt Yip added: “Within the messages, he also inferred that he was going to harm himself, which we believe was an attempt to guilt the victim into submission, and further control her emotions.

“It was evident that he was constantly messaging the victim and was aware of her movements, suggesting he has an unwanted fixation on her.”

Holmes was charged with harassment, and appeared at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 2, where he admitted the offence.

He was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison, and was handed a restraining order against his former girlfriend. He now has five such orders banning him from contacting five separate women.

“This was an excellent example of teamwork between four teams of officers to ensure the safety of the victim and obtain a charge without delay,” said Sgt Yip.

“Holmes is an extremely dangerous offender who currently has five restraining orders against five separate women, and I applaud the victim for having the confidence to come forward with her report.”