A MAN has been jailed after he breached his restraining order for the twelfth time by contacting his ex-partner.

Carl Ward was made the subject of a restraining order in March 2013 which prohibits him from contacting his former girlfriend both directly and indirectly, as well as visiting Walney Island.

Preston Crown Court heard that the 32-year-old defendant visited his ex-partner's home on June 10 this year at 10:40 pm.

Prosecutor Kay Driver said: “The complainant was in bed when she heard her Ring doorbell sound.

"She saw the defendant’s face and him shouting whilst knocking on the door and front window. The disturbance woke her son up.

“She contacted the police immediately who attended the address within one minute.”

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The court was told Ward was arrested shortly after having been released from custody that day awaiting trial for burglary.

Ward originally told officers in interview that he had not been to Walney and that the police had no proof he had breached his restraining order, the court heard.

His ex-girlfriend’s victim impact statement was read into the court record by the prosecution.

In the statement, the complainant said: “I have been left shaken by the incident. It goes beyond a joke. He needs to leave us alone and go back to prison.

“He has never complied with his bail conditions. He should not have been on Walney - let alone my door.”  

Ms Driver said Ward had accumulated a total of 52 previous convictions for 83 offences.

In mitigation, Claire Larton said her client had been of no fixed abode for a number of years and that he had both drug and alcohol issues.

She added: “His mental health is very fragile. He was recently sectioned in June. He is clearly someone who is struggling at the moment.

“The victim has been supportive of him in the past and has tried to assist him when he finds himself homeless. However, he knows he cannot go to Walney or her address.”

The court heard Ward was jailed for 12 weeks in June 2023 for contacting the same woman.

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Her Honour Judge Heather Lloyd said there was ‘effectively no mitigation’ for the Ward’s behaviour.

 Judge Lloyd said: “This is now the twelfth breach of this restraining order.

“She may have helped you in the past because she is your former partner and she feels a degree of sympathy from time to time.

“She says when she saw you that you were clearly intoxicated, she believed through drugs.

“If you do not engage and do not take your medication and instead take illicit substances, you are never going to get better physically or mentally. Prison sentences are going to get longer and longer if you do not do so.”

As a result, Judge Lloyd Jailed Ward for eight months.