Jail for 'persistent' man who breached court orders
A Telford man who persistently breached court orders preventing him from contacting a woman in any way has been locked up for a total of 18 months.
After the 17th breach Gary Sylvester – who the court heard had been making his victim’s life a misery for five years – was again jailed.
He denied the offences but was convicted of three offences of breaching a restraining order and an offence of possessing a knife in a public place following a trial at Telford magistrates, before being sentenced by a judge at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
The case relates to several incidents in February this year when the 33-year-old sent a string of texts to the victim days after he was released from prison for a similar offence.
Sentencing Sylvester on Monday, Judge Anthony Lowe said: “He is plainly persistent. This is the 17th time that he has breached a non-molestation order, or similar order. He doesn’t seem to be able to let the relationship go. This is behaviour that has been going on for the better part of five years. He must know the effect that he’s having.
“You need to stay away. This hasn’t been going on for five weeks or five months. It’s been five years. I’m afraid the time has come when it has to stop.
Anxiety
“Regardless of whatever is going on, you know that you cannot contact her in any way. Or else you are going to end up spending longer and longer in prison.
“Possession of the knife was also worrying because it was not your first conviction for such an offence. I am looking at totality and it is part and parcel of your offending.”
Mr John Dove, mitigating, said Sylvester, a builder, of Furnace Lane, Trench, had the knife in his pocket when he was arrested as he’d been using it while working.
For each of the three breaches he was jailed for 18 months concurrently, for knife possession he was jailed for six months to be served concurrently. He must serve half minus time already served on remand.
In her victim impact statement, the woman said she had suffered anxiety issues due to the defendant’s behaviour, had ended a new relationship and was now unable to maintain normal friendships.
The court also heard he had convictions dating to 2006, including for assault and dangerous driving.