Stalker besieged ex-lover with vitriolic e-mails

An Internet stalker bombarded his former girlfriend with hate-filled e-mails and telephone calls after she ended their relationship, a court was told yesterday.

Anthony Ross, 26, who has a conviction for harassing a former girlfriend, could not accept his seven-month relationship with Alison Grant was over. They had lived together while at university. Ross was in his third year and she was a first year photography student. The pair are still studying at the same university.

Hemel Hempstead magistrates were told that Ms Grant, 22, a student at the University of Wales College, Newport, returned to her family's home in Watford for the Christmas holidays and found herself under siege from Ross's calls. On Christmas Day, Ross made 11 calls to the Grant home. When Ms Grant went to use the family's computer, she found e-mails addressed to her from Ross, calling her "cold, heartless and unemotional".

Yesterday Ross, from Newport, who admitted one charge of harassing Miss Grant between 13 December last year and 6 January this year, was placed on probation for 18 months, ordered to pay £55costs and £150 compensation to his victim. Magistrates also made a restraining order protecting Ms Grant from Ross for two years. Cardiff Crown Court had previously fined him and made him subject to a restraining order for harassing another former girlfriend.

Although they had lived together, Ms Grant decided to end the relationship shortly before returning home for the holidays. Ian Pinkey, for the prosecution, said: "Harassment started immediately. It involved e-mails and a large number of telephone calls. There are several days when the telephone calls were in double figures, nearly always in the early hours of the morning."

On one occasion Ross described Ms Grant and her family as "messed up, sick and evil people". In an e-mail he said: "You are a very dangerous person, who drags everyone down with you instead of facing your problems."

Tina Hay, for the defence, said: "He is genuinely sorry for the distress he caused. He accepts that he has a deep rooted psychological problem and has sought help from the student counselling service." She said that when Ms Grant left, she had taken things from their home that they had bought together. Ms Hay said: "She cleaned him out", and left him to pay her share of the bills.

Ms Hay said: "There was no sustained campaign. There were no threats. He simply telephoned too many times."

Last night a spokeswoman for the University of Wales in Newport said: "The college's principal, Professor Ken Overshott, was in court for the case and we will be taking steps to ensure that there are no further problems." The spokeswoman said it was likely that Ross would be allowed to complete his studies after agreeing to meet strict conditions.