A BUSINESSMAN subjected a community service officer he met while on work placement to a campaign of harassment with texts, emails and phone calls, magistrates heard.

Gert Nel, of Bridge End Road, Swindon, and Angela Fegan became romantically involved with each other. But after their relationship ended in March this year he repeatedly called both her mobile and her landline, texted her and loitered near her home, the justices at Swin-don were told.

Nel, 44, who admitted pursuing a course of action that amounted to harassment, was attentive during the initial stages of their relationship, said prosecutor Emmelyne Downing.

But when it started to break down he was occasionally aggressive.

Since it ended she had been forced to go to her GP for help and had been referred for counselling. She also had difficulty sleeping.

"He knows what effect it is having," the prosecutor said.

"She believes he knows it is slowly destroying her."

On one occasion he stole her mobile phone, then he called to say she could have it back if she agreed to go out and speak to him, said Miss Downing.

And on another day he sent her 20 text messages, to which she never replied.

He also called Ms Fegan more than a dozen times a day on some days she claimed it was between 50 an 60 times.

Nel had also been seen loitering near her home almost daily, standing there while watching her house.

Rob Ross, for the defence, said that Nel ran his own business and some of the calls and visits had been linked to that. When the business was established, she was registered as company secretary.

After the break up of the relationship he needed to talk to her about getting her name taken off the company register and the police had accepted that he had not made as many calls as alleged.

He said that Nel accepted he made numerous phone calls, sent 12 emails and was in the vicinity of her home regularly, but there was no suggestion he had ever threatened violence or been violent.

"He accepts with honesty that that probably amounts to him harassing her and that is why he has pleaded guilty," Mr Ross said.

"I think there is something self-serving in the way she exaggerates what took place."

There had been no meeting between the two for a considerable time and he was now back with his wife, the court heard.

Mr Ross said that the relationship with Ms Fegan stemmed from the fact that they met when Nel, who has previous motoring convictions, was doing community service and she was a community service officer.

He suggested that a restraining order would allow both parties to know exactly where they stood.

The bench fined Nel £500 with £70 costs and imposed a one year restraining order preventing him from contacting her.

Tina Clarke