A possessive ex-boyfriend has been banned from his victim’s home town and forbidden from making any contact with her following a course of harassment.

Ryan Buck avoided going to jail on Wednesday – having earlier admitted a course of conduct amounting to the harassment of his former girlfriend over four-and-a-half months.

Prosecutor Matt Morgan called the 23-year-old’s behaviour “controlling and possessive” following the breakdown of a short relationship last October.

He told Ipswich Crown Court how Buck made numerous visits to the woman’s Felixstowe home, despite being asked to stay away by the victim and her friends.

“She felt uncomfortable and smothered,” added Mr Morgan.

“She told him to back off, but he ignored that and continued to message her constantly.”

Phone contact continued from unknown numbers after Buck’s victim blocked his calls, added Mr Morgan, who said Buck then apologised and promised to seek help to address his behaviour following another request by the victim’s sister to back down.

The harassment resumed and saw him turn up in a car as the victim sat on a bench with another man – and again arrive unannounced as she left a local corner shop– an incident which initially led police to charge him with dangerous driving.

Shade Abiodun, mitigating, said there was clearly some deficit in Buck’s ability to understand the impact of his behaviour.

She said Buck was “deeply remorseful” and not someone with an entrenched criminal lifestyle – having been before the court just once previously for a dissimilar fraud offence in 2018.

Addressing Judge Emma Peters, she added: “I ask you to afford him the opportunity to develop the skills to be able to build better intimate relationships.

“He is still relatively young and can benefit from intervention – in the hope that he doesn’t come back before the court.”

Judge Peters told Buck he had caused his former partner a great deal of anguish and upset, adding: “My duty is to deter you and others from acting this way, but also afford you the chance of rehabilitation.”

Buck, of Cavendish Street, Ipswich, was handed a 12-month community order, with up to 20 days of rehabilitation, and banned from Felixstowe for six months and from contacting his victim for two years.