A JEALOUS ex who bombarded a woman with incessant messages left his victim “broken” and a "shell” of her former self, a court heard.

Gary Beswick, 39, breached a non-molestation order in June when he called and texted Danielle Barnes more than 160 times.

In one message he told her he hoped her new baby would be born dead.

When he was interviewed by the police he gave a no-comment interview, but later admitted two breaches of a non-molestation order.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard Beswick, of Station Street, Walton, suffered from depression and was unable to cope with the breakdown of his relationship.

But a victim impact statement read out on behalf of the victim said Beswick’s actions had left her housebound.

In it, she said: “In the six years I was with Beswick, I have been reduced to a shell of my former self – I feel like a broken woman.

“I am totally housebound and anxious – I won’t go out unless my mum is over here and able to go out with me.

“In terms of physical aspects, my main issue is a lack of sleep and I constantly worry about my children.

“He didn’t want me to have a baby because it wasn’t his and he wanted the baby to be born dead.”

Beswick sat in the dock shaking his head when the victim impact statement was read out by Lesla Small, prosecuting.

His ex wrote: “He uses the children to control me and what I am doing, and it harms the children this way."

Ian Clift, mitigating, said Beswick was struggling with the breakdown of the relationship.

He said: “He does have underlying depression and anxiety which have been going on for some years.

“He uses family very much as his anchor and when it broke down, he started to unravel.

“He could not accept the relationship was at an end.”

The prosecution had applied for a restraining order, but this was not imposed by magistrates because the contact was not prolonged, they said.

Beswick was sentenced to a one-year community order consisting of 80 hours of unpaid work.as also ordered to pay £199 in costs.