Lisa-Marie Clark, 45, from Chapel End, Nuneaton, has been sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to harassment without violence and criminal damage against her former girlfriend.
The court heard that Clark made repeated and unwanted contact with her ex-partner despite being explicitly told to stop. The harassment included sending a birthday message while she was under police bail conditions that prohibited any contact with the victim.
Birthday text under bail conditions
Prosecuting, Rosalind Butler told the court that Clark had messaged her ex saying: "I'm risking to get nicked again just to say happy birthday." The message was sent during the harassment period, directly breaching the bail conditions that were in place at the time.
The persistent nature of the contact was highlighted during the hearing, with the prosecution describing Clark's behaviour as "persistent" as she continued to make unwanted approaches despite being told to stop.
Victim impact and previous convictions
In her impact statement, the victim described the ordeal as causing "a great deal of anxiety" and said she had started therapy as a result. She also said: "I can't keep being scared to look over my shoulder."
The court also heard that Clark has previous convictions, including assaulting an emergency worker. Her solicitor argued that Clark's obsessive compulsive disorder contributed to the offending behaviour.
Sentence and restraining order
Clark received a 12-month community order with 15 rehabilitation activity days. She must also pay £214 in fines and victim surcharge. A restraining order was imposed as part of the sentence.
The restraining order will remain in place to protect the victim from further contact from Clark.
