Businessman

SUFFOLK: A businessman was bombarded with more than 200 text messages by a former friend and employee, it has been alleged.

Alan Clarke told a jury at Ipswich Crown Court that he had initially been “surprised and bemused” by the text messages, but then became angry when they were sent at 3am and 5am. “It was a massive inconvenience,” he said.

He said the messages, allegedly sent by Andrew Algar, who he had known for 30 years, related to an issue concerning a member of Algar's family.

They also related to a claim by Algar that he had caught a sexually transmitted disease while working for Mr Clarke.

The court heard that in April 2008 magistrates had made a restraining order banning Algar from contacting Mr Clarke after convicting him of harassing Mr Clarke. The order was to run indefinitely.

Mr Clarke had blocked Algar's number from his telephone but when he unblocked it he began receiving more abusive text messages from him.

Algar, 48, of Woodbridge Road, Ipswich, has denied breaching a restraining order by sending text messages to Mr Clarke.

When police spoke to Algar about the texts he admitted sending them but said he thought the restraining order had only lasted 12 months.

He had also allegedly said he wanted to make Mr Clarke's life as miserable as he had made his.

Mr Clarke told the court he had received 200 text messages from Mr Algar, between February 2009 and last summer when he went to the police.

He said that Algar had taken him and some of the other directors of his company to county court in November 2008 claiming they had failed to prevent him catching a sexually transmitted disease.

Mr Clarke said the claim had been dismissed by the court as being without merit.

Cross-examined by Algar, who is representing himself, Mr Clarke agreed that he had expressed concerns to the police about Algar's mental state and had suggested he may need psychiatric help.

The trial continues today