Boyfriend from hell jailed for stalking his terrified ex

SERIAL stalker Michael McLaughlin has been jailed after subjecting his ex to a terrifying campaign of harassment.

Boyfriend from hell McLaughlin has subjected a number of former partners to shameful behaviour in a series of offences over the past few years.

His latest victim was bombarded with messages and unwanted calls, he turned up at her home honking his horn for 10 minutes and made threats to kill her and post explicit images of her online.

During the month-long stalking campaign, he also chillingly warned he was “prepared to do life” if she didn’t contact him.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the woman had used Clare’s Law – a scheme designed to protect potential victims of domestic abuse by allowing Michael McLaughlin them to request information from police about someone’s past – to unearth his record against former partners.

During the process she also found out he was seeing someone else and that the other woman had also made a request under Clare’s Law.

Now McLaughlin, 28, of Stanley Street, Wallsend, has been jailed for 16 months after he pleaded guilty to stalking. Prosecutor Mark Giuliani said: “The relationship ended as a result of her receiving information from the domestic violence unit about his previous behaviour.”

They did get back together for a time but Mr Giuliani added: “The complainant found out another person had asked for information about this domestic violence scheme and realised he must be seeing someone else, so se decided to end the relationship.

“Despite this he started to send her images of himself with other women.

“She made efforts to block contact from him on social media and phone numbers but the defendant did not seem to have any difficulty evading the blocks.”

The woman would receive at least one message per day using derogatory terms. On January 13, after she had reported concerns to the police, McLaughlin sent her a message threatening to kill her.

On January 20 she received a call from a withheld number and answered it but then realised it was him. She hung up but he then rang her a further 26 times.

He then drove round to her home in the East End of Newcastle and honked his horn for 10 minutes.

The following day the woman got a message from a friend saying McLaughlin had been in touch to pass a message on saying if she didn’t contact him he would post explicit pictures of her online. He warned: “Tell her she’s got until 12 to ring me or I will risk doing life.”

He backed up his threats by sending her an email containing an explicit picture of her.

On January 30 he sent 10 text messages, including calling her a “saddo” but then claimed he still loved her.

He again used a withheld number to contact her a number of times and she answered one of the calls and said: “Why are you doing this,” before hanging up.

McLaughlin pleaded guilty to stalking between January 1 and 31. As well as the prison sentence he was made subject to an indefinite restraining order. The court heard he has a number of previous convictions against former partners.

In June 2014 he was jailed for six months for battery, harassment and criminal damage. He shoved a woman in the head, drove a car at her and sent messages. Three months later he was given six months for harassment. In December 2014 he was given six months for breaching a restraining order. In March 2016 he was given a suspended sentence for common assault and damaging property. In April 2016 he got another suspended sentence for harassment. That same month he got another suspended sentence for harassment.

He was also given suspended sentences in May and June 2016 for further offences including battery and criminal damage.