Jailed: Telford man harassed woman and ordered assault on her new boyfriend

Gary Sylvester, formerly of Furnace Lane, Trench, was also handed a restraining order to prevent him from contacting the woman and her new partner after pleading guilty to a section 20 assault, putting a person in fear by harassment, and a charge of intimidation.

The court heard how the 36-year-old had 22 previous convictions for 42 offences, including multiple breaches of a restraining order dating back to 2015 that were put in place by an ex-partner.

Recorder Mr Julian Taylor, sitting at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Tuesday, heard how the first of the new offences involved Sylvester threatening to stab his female victim in a shop in Trench on June 18 last year.

Prosecutor, Ms Holly-Louise Kilbey, said Sylvester's victim had been "extremely scared and took threats seriously".

She told the court that just four days later, the woman and her new boyfriend were then followed by a silver Land Rover, which pulled up alongside with Sylvester behind the wheel and another man in the passenger side. She said Sylvester demanded a dog purchased between the pair was returned.

Ms Kilbey told the court: "Mr Sylvester shouted 'I want my dog'. A second male then exited the Land Rover and Mr Sylvester was heard to shout '******* hit him'. The second male hit him in the face. Mr Sylvester then shouted 'Look, I don't even have to get out of car'."

She told the court that the attack left the male victim with a fractured eye socket and nerve damage.

Ms Kilbey added that a third incident then occurred on July 28 last year when Sylvester forced the woman to pull over in her car by using his Land Rover, and ordered her to drop any criminal charges against him.

"She gave serious thought to changing and withdrawing her statement," Ms Kilbey said, adding that since the incidents, both victims were now "scared to leave their home" and were looking to move area.

In defending Sylvester, Robert Edwards told the court that the catalyst for the incidents had indeed been a dog.

He said: "It really is simply over a dog. It was purchased by him using his money. While she fetched it, it was his dog. He is into dog breeding and [it] was an expensive animal."

However, he conceded Sylvester's previous convictions were "unattractive" and demonstrated a "persistence of not doing what he is told to do by a court".

In jailing Sylvester, recorder Mr Julian Taylor said: "This was a shocking piece of behaviour by you. They were thoroughly unsavoury incidents and you should be ashamed of yourself."

However, he added: "I do not want to crush you and you need some hope. Maybe this will be a lesson to you and you will learn."

He jailed Sylvester for 27 months, telling him he would be eligible for release after serving half his sentence, but he ordered a restraining order be placed to prevent Sylvester from contacting either victim again unless by application to the courts.