Jealous ex’s threat to ‘attack friends with wooden bat’
Man called his former partner 60 times a day:
A JEALOUS man called his ex more than 60 times a day, followed her around and threatened to attack her friends with a wooden bat.
Scott Pinches, from Bridgend, followed his former partner when she went to a club in Bridgend with her sister and her friends, and questioned her when he saw her talking to a man.
Gareth James, prosecuting at Cardiff Crown Court, said the couple were in a relationship for 11 months and his ex-partner described him as initially “caring” and “doting”.
The court heard she ended the relationship in September last year after he withdrew money from her bank account without permission.
Prosecutors said the harassment started on November 24, 2019, and lasted about six weeks as Pinches followed his ex, called her repeatedly and sent threatening messages. That evening, she went out in Bridgend with her sister and friends. Pinches followed her and sent a message saying: “I see you with that boy.”
The court heard he threatened her friends, saying he would be waiting with a metal bar, and added: “You should be careful who you mess about with. You’re going to have a slap.”
Mr James said she did not block him because she feared he would get angry, but instead tried to reason with him. She took a taxi home and found Pinches waiting outside for her. She went to talk to him and her sister became concerned.
The prosecutor said: “She found he was in possession of a wooden bat.”
In a statement, she said: “He was raging. He was so angry he could not look at me.”
The court heard the defendant did not use any violence towards her, but did threaten to “batter” her friends.
Prosecutors said she began to receive 60-plus calls a day from an unknown caller. She answered one and recognised the defendant’s voice, before putting the phone down.
On January 8, she noticed her Snapchat account had been shut down and feared it had been hacked.
She saw messages had been sent to her friends, including a derogatory message to a colleague, who had blocked her.
Mr James said on one occasion her phone rang and she passed it to her mother to answer. The defendant said: “You’re a f***ing c*** and your daughter’s a slag.”
The court heard that overnight on January 5-6,
Pinches turned up at her address and shouted in the street outside, holding a brick while threatening to smash the windows. Prosecutors said he pulled the garden gate off its hinges and smashed a plant pot. She called the police.
Pinches gave a “no comment” interview and his expartner declined to make a victim personal statement. She said she would like to apply for a restraining order.
In an earlier statement, she said: “I no longer feel safe going about my life. I do not want any further contact from him.
Pinches, 32, from Oxford Street in Bridgend, admitted harassment and criminal damage.
He was jailed for 12 months and given a fiveyear restraining order.
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