A man has been jailed again within days of his prison release after he breached his restraining order within hours. 

Darren Cranmer, 40 and of Larch Close in Colchester, was arrested on Friday, February 23 – only 11 days after he had been released from prison. 

Cranmer had been sentenced previously for three counts of actual bodily harm, damaging and destroying property and assault by beating.

Alongside his jail time, he was also given a five-year restraining order to prevent him from contacting a victim upon his release.

He breached this order within hours of his release on Monday, February 12, and proceeded to call and message the victim more than 100 times over the next 11 days.

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When he was arrested by Essex police officers, they found the mobile phone used to contact the victim in his possession. 

During his police interview he refused to answer any questions and pleaded guilty to the charges at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Saturday, February 24.

He has been jailed for six months for his crimes and his restraining order will remain in place until 2027.

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Police Constable Robert Kedar, of the Essex Police Domestic Abuse Problem Solving Team, said: "Cranmer returned to his pattern of offending almost immediately – he has shown he is not willing to change and not capable of change.

"He is a perfect example of why we work so hard to monitor the behaviour of those released from prison following crimes such as domestic abuse, domestic violence, and stalking.

"We have several teams that work in tandem to deter perpetrator behaviour, apply court orders to prevent repeat offending and break the cycle of abuse, and catch those that continue to harass and subject others to their crimes."