A SPURNED roofer who stalked his ex bombarded her with texts, followed her in his car and was said to have peered over her wall as she sat in the garden, a court heard.

William Milne, 45, sent almost 60 messages to divorced mother-of-three Collette Waterworth after she told him she didn't want to hear from him ever again. They went from amicable to nasty and insulting.

Burnley Magistrates' Court was told how Milne had thought his relationship with the victim had been for keeps. The pair had known each other for many years, but romance had blossomed after they became Facebook friends.

Milne left Mrs Waterworth very tearful because of his actions and in her victim impact statement she said she had not been eating or sleeping. She said: "I want Billy to leave me alone."

The defendant, of Wordsworth Street, Burnley, admitted harassment without violence, on or between July 20 and August 26, at Higham. He was given a nine month conditional discharge, must pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge and District Judge James Clarke also imposed a 12 month restraining order, banning Milne from going within 50 metres of the victim's home.

Prosecutor Enza Geldard said Mrs Waterworth, 41, ended a four month relationship with the defendant at the end of July, after she found messages on his phone sent to other women.

Milne then started to text the victim and she began to feel concerned when the messages became nasty and personally insulting. On July 20, she was in the back garden with a friend when the defendant popped his head over the wall.

Mrs Geldard said on August 6, Mrs Waterworth was followed on her way to a friend's by the defendant's car. The prosecutor said :" She turned round and made her way back home because of this." The victim received 30 texts from Milne before she told him she didn't want any more contact and 57 messages after, many of them about other men.

Dylan Bradshaw, for Milne, said he had been a pest and a nuisance but he didn't put his head over the wall as it was 15 feet high.

Mr Bradshaw said Milne accepted the texts to Charlotte Waterworth became harassment. He accepted he followed her because he thought she might have started a new relationship.