A FATHER-of-two has been warned he faces jail if he contacts his former partner again after he admitted breaching a restraining order.

Lee Woller, 45 of Stroyan Street, Burnley, shouted expletives at his former partner Siobhan, despite being prohibited from making contact with her.

Burnley Crown Court heard they had been in a relationship for 22 years before it broke down earlier this year.

Woller was handed a conditional discharge and a two-year restraining order after a ‘domestic argument’ in a pub when he threw a drink over her, the court heard. He had been acquitted on a charge of coercive control.

On the occasion he breached the order, prosecutor Jamie Baxter said the complainant had been enjoying an evening in her local pub with friends when the defendant entered, looked over and turned his stool to face her. While outside having a cigarette he approached her.

Mr Baxter said: “She was approached by the defendant who said 'Look at the state of you. Forget about me going halves on the divorce'.”

He shouted further abuse later on and as she was leaving he followed her.

“In her words, he became verbally abusive with more venom and was swinging his arms around.

“She says she does not know why he keeps doing this. She wants to be left alone. She accepts because they have a close circle of friends they will come into contact but does not want him to speak to her and intimidate her like he did.”

The court heard he had two previous convictions against the same complainant and the breach was made five weeks after the original order was made and was also in breach of a conditional discharge.

Defending Woller, Alexander Rostron said he was remorseful and regretful.

He said they had seen each other a number of times and he always walks the other way but on this occasion he accepted he had had ‘one or two pints when he saw her and was concerned about their son as he saw her out’.

He said: “Emotions came to the surface and he has not covered himself in glory in what he did in shouting abusive words. There was no aggressive behaviour save for the words”

Judge Phillip Parry sentenced Woller for the original offence of common assault and for the breach of the restraining order handing him a community order.

He was told to carry out 100 hours unpaid work, will also be subject to a curfew for two months and a 20-day rehabilitation order.

He was given a five-year restraining order.

Judge Parry said: “If you breach that you will come back to the crown court and that carries a term of imprisonment.

“It is more serious now as you already have a recorded breach. If you fail to comply with the terms you will be back here and we won’t be talking about weeks. It will be months if not nudging a year.”

The court heard in July 2016 he had also pushed her to the floor and kicked her several times forcing their son, who is now 15, to call the police.