Jailed man lashes out at magistrates over big sentence

A MAN who repeatedly ignored a court order not to contact his pregnant ex branded magistrates “flipping ridiculous” as they jailed him for eight months.

Callum Simpson followed his former girlfriend through Huddersfield town centre, went to her Paddock home and even threatened to harm her friend.

But when Kirklees magistrates told the 24-year-old that they were jailing him for flagrantly disregarding his nonmolestation order he replied: “That’s flipping ridiculous, you’re f ***** g taking the piss.

“Thirty two weeks? It’s like I’ve f ***** g murdered someone.”

Simpson had been banned from contacting Michaela Smith as part of a non-molestation order.

She took out the order at Huddersfield last September after their relationship ended and it barred Simpson from contacting her.

Then on May 14 Miss Smith, who was 31 weeks pregnant, and her friend Charlotte Rees-Bushby had attended Kirklees Magistrates’ Court to hear a case against Simpson.

This was involving a previous breach of his non-molestation order and at lunchtime the friends went to a local pub for lunch.

Simpson went into the same pub and took his drink outside. After 30 minutes Miss Smith and Miss Rees-Bushby left and Simpson stood up and followed them through the town centre.

Prosecutor Andy Wills told magistrates: “After a few minutes Miss Smith turned around and challenged him.

“They engaged in conversation and Simpson enquired about their unborn child which was clearly in breach of the order.

“Miss Rees-Bushby tried to tell the defendant to go away and he’s threatened to slap and assault her, putting her in fear of impending violence.”

Miss Rees-Simpson took photos of Simpson on her mobile phone to show police that he had been bothering them. Callum Simpson has been jailed for eight months for repeatedly flouting a court order not to contact his pregnant ex but encountered her near to the Imperial Arcade, seen here

The friends then fled to a nearby shop to get away from him before eventually managing to catch a taxi home.

Simpson, of Bishops Court in Berry Brow, later called his ex from an unknown number but she immediately terminated the call when she recognised his voice.

Then on May 17 Miss Smith was again with Miss Rees-Bushby when they encountered Simpson again in the town centre near to Imperial Arcade.

There they entered a shop to try to avoid him but he followed them.

Mr Wills said: “He blocked the way for Miss Smith to ensure she stayed.

“Then he stroked her stomach and wanted to know about the baby, grabbing hold of her arm and engaging in conversation with her.”

Miss Smith received further calls from an unknown number and on May 19 the victim’s mother called her to say that Simpson was at her home looking for her.

When she arrived at her own address in Church Street, Paddock, police arrived and found Simpson nearby.

Mr Wills said: “This was in flagrant disregard of the order and when he saw police he ran off into a nearby mosque.

“Police gave chase and arrested him from inside a prayer room.”

Aubrey Sampson, mitigating, said that the common thread in his client’s offending was his ex and Simpson described her as “messing with my head.”

Magistrates had to leave the courtroom briefly after he took their sentence of 32 weeks in custody badly and ranted about its length.

When he was eventually removed from the court by the dock security officers, Mr Sampson indicated that he would appeal his sentence.