A MAN who had been ordered to leave Ipswich and stay away from his ex-girlfriend and one of her friends has appeared before a court again.

By HELEN JOHNS

helen.johns@eveningstar.co.uk>

A MAN who had been ordered to leave Ipswich and stay away from his ex-girlfriend and one of her friends has appeared before a court again.

Gavin Walker, 28, appeared at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Friday to answer charges of harassment, criminal damage and threatening behaviour.

But when he arrived at the court in Ipswich, he was immediately arrested for breaching a restraining order.

Magistrates at a previous hearing had ordered Walker to leave Ipswich to live at an address in Swindon and to not make any kind of contact with his former girlfriend and her friend.

But the court was told that on July 11 - the day before his birthday - he had sent a message via the internet to his ex, which amounted to a breach of the restraining order.

Walker admitted this offence and also changed a previous not guilty plea to the harassment charge to guilty.

Prosecutor Naomi Turner told the court that between November 5 last year and June 6 this year, Walker had “pursued a course of conduct that amounted to harassment”.

Ms Turner told magistrates he had sent his ex and her friend a series of mobile phone text messages, emails and instant messages via the internet.

“All these offences centred around a relationship he had that is now over,” Ms Turner said.

The situation came to a head on June 21, when Walker went to his ex's house and threatened to kill himself.

“He went to her house with a petrol can and was trying to set himself on fire. He was standing in a puddle of petrol and was trying to set himself alight.

“Police had to grapple him to the ground and in doing so were in the petrol. He admitted kicking her car and damaging it,” Ms Turner said.

Ian Duckworth, mitigating, told the court Walker had been drinking on the day he breached the order.

He said: “He had been drinking and was feeling morose. It's quite clear he has issues that need to be addressed. He tends to take things out on himself rather than anyone else.”

Magistrates adjourned the hearing and ordered that a pre-sentence report be prepared before Walker's next hearing on August 10.

Bernard Turner, chairman of the bench, added that the order that prevented Walker from being in Ipswich and from contacting the two women remained in place.

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