An Ipswich man who harassed his wife by sending her scores of text messages after their 29 year relationship ended has been fined £1,000.

Raymond Clarke sent his wife Georgina more than 100 text messages in May which left her feeling “scared, vulnerable and intimidated”, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Michael Crimp, prosecuting, said some of the texts gave details of where she had been shopping and at what time and made it look as though he was stalking her.

In early May he sent a relative a message saying he had got a knife and anyone who went near him would be killed and in another message he said that if his wife’s body was found under a bridge he wouldn’t care.

He sent his wife texts saying he’d taken an overdose and he also asked her if she would enter into a suicide pact with him, said Mr Crimp.

The court heard that the couple who met 29 years ago, had been married since 2001 and Clarke had never been violent towards his wife.

Clarke, 52, who was living in Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich, admitted harassment and was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £85 costs. He was also banned from contacting his wife for three years.

Sentencing him Judge John Devaux said that Clarke had spent a week in custody and was now receiving medication that would help him keep his emotions under control.

Richard Kelly, representing Clarke, said his client had found it extremely difficult to cope with the end of his 29 year relationship with his wife and it had impacted on his mental health.

He had now been given medication for anxiety.

He said the text messages sent by Clarke had been a way of him expressing his disappointment at the end of the relationship and he had wanted to end his life.

“On any view this was a course of conduct which arose from a very dramatic event in his life,” said Mr Kelly.

He said that since receiving medical assistance Clarke had reflected on what happened and now accepted that his wife wanted to end the relationship and wasn’t going to change her mind.