Obsessed ex Royal Navy man jailed again for stalking

A former Royal Navy serviceman has been sent back to jail for obsessively stalking his ex. Thomas Lee-Everton had only just been released from his last prison sentence imposed for pestering her when he started sending nasty messages again, a court heard.

The messages blamed the woman for all his problems. He told her in one message that he "hopes you die". She was so scared by his fixation that she moved home and the stress caused her to lose her job, Exeter Crown Court was told.

The 31-year-old, from Totnes, pleaded guilty to breaching a restraining order and stalking with intent to cause fear. He was jailed for 14 months.

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The judge told Lee-Everton that he would keep going to jail if he didn't change his ways. The defendant said he now wanted to move on with his life.

Prosecutor Zoe Kuyken said the pair had been in an on-off relationship for 12 years but in 2022 Lee-Everton was given a restraining order not to contact her. He was jailed for 12 months in June 2023 for two counts of stalking and three counts of breaching the restraining order.

"Following his release she received numerous emails and calls from unknown numbers," said the prosecutor.

In a victim statement she said she had received countless emails from her ex and they had caused enormous stress. She feared walking familiar routes or using the PlayStation in case he was watching her and she "couldn't be a normal person".

Rebecca Wood, defending, said Lee-Everton previously had a successful career in the Royal Navy before becoming a gas engineer. He had joined AA and "wants to be a better man".

Judge James Adkin said it was a pattern or repeated offending in breach of a court order. He said prison was the only option. "I hope your ambition to move away is achieved," he said. "Repeated contact just means more prison."

He said Lee-Everton, of Punchards Down, will probably serve 40 per cent of the sentence in jail before he is released.