'I want him out of my life forever' - woman 'lived in fear' of former partner for five years, court told

In September, Carl Kenneth McBride, 38, of South Shields was found guilty of breaching a restraining order by sending his former partner a happy birthday message in June this year.

McBride, of Australia Grove, appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court for sentencing.

Clare Irving, prosecuting, read out a victim statement from McBride’s former partner, which said: “I have lived in fear of Carl for five years and have suffered both emotionally and physically.

“I want Carl to be out of my life forever. I don’t want Carl to contact me. I have been living in fear for five years and I want it to stop.

“I worry he is monitoring my Facebook and will find out my address.”

Ms Irving said McBride has two convictions for domestic related incidents and a breach of a restraining order.

At his trial the defendant acknowledged that the email, wishing her a happy birthday had come from his phone, but said he hadn’t sent it on purpose, saying it was an old message.

However, magistrates found him guilty of the breach.

He told Sunderland Magistrates’ Court: “I tried to delete the message, but I must have stored it. I didn’t deliberately send anything. I don’t know how it was sent.”

At the sentencing hearing, Paul McAlindon, defending, said: “The contents are clearly not of a threatening nature, they simply wish her a happy birthday.

“It isn’t something malicious, I don’t think anybody thought it was. Clearly there is nothing malicious about that email.”

He said both his client and his former partner have now moved on from the relationship and both have new partners.

Mr McAlindon, said: “Mr McBride has a new partner and things are settled with her. There’s unlikely to be any further issues.”

McBride was given an 18-month community order and ordered to pay £100 compensation and £100 victim surcharge. He was also issued with an open ended restraining order not to contact his former partner.