A stalker has been jailed for flooding his Facebook page with more than 70 messages aimed at his ex-wife in clear breach of a restraining order. Paul Claricoates, from Stratford-upon-Avon, was slapped with an order in April preventing him contacting his former partner in person, over the phone and on social media, following the breakdown of their marriage.
The day after the ban, the 48-year-old posted messages on his public Facebook page aimed at his ex-wife. Over the next three weeks he posted more than 70 similar messages. Claricoates was arrested and charged with breaching the restraining order yet continued to call and send text messages to his victim.
Appearing at court last week, the 48-year-old was jailed after pleading guilty to two counts of breaching a restraining order. He was also issued with a ten-year restraining order.
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Det Con Elyse Robinson, from Warwickshire Police, said: "Restraining orders are put in place for a reason, to protect vulnerable victims of crime. Claricoates showed complete disregard for this order and no respect for the court, by continuing to harass his ex-partner.
"He has now paid the price and will be able to spend the next year in prison thinking about his behaviour and the impact it has had on others. The victim has shown great bravery in pursuing this conviction and I hope this gives other victims of domestic abuse the confidence to come forward.
"There are people who will listen, and the police and courts will take action to protect you and bring offenders to justice."
Note from police: "Warwickshire Police will always protect the identify of victims of crime, including victims of domestic abuse. In this case, the victim has waived her anonymity in order to allow us to report the relationship between her and the perpetrator."
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