Sunderland man sentenced over troubling WhatsApp messages after relationship took dark turn

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A Sunderland man send troubling WhatsApp messages when he went gunning for his ex-partner after she ended their relationship, a court heard.

James Moss, 32, bombarded her over 11 days in May while he struggled to cope with the break-up – and he also made repeated calls to her mobile.

Moss, of Cheadle Road, Hylton Castle, made comments in one message which made the woman fear for the safety of a friend.

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And the dad also left her “feeling alarmed and distressed” by another, she said in a statement to police read by prosecutor Rehana Haque.

On three days between Friday, May 3, and Tuesday, May 14, he sent 111 messages – and others followed on other dates.

And on Saturday, May 4, he called her mobile number around 50 times - and 68 times on Monday, May 13, magistrates in South Tyneside were told.

Mrs Haque said the relationship began in May last year but quickly floundered due to his controlling behaviour and cocaine use.

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She revealed his partner also found a stash of the illegal drug on the top of a cupboard at his home.

Reading from the statement, Mrs Haque said the woman ended their affair on May 4 – sparking the deluge of messages and calls.

The content of one message made her think he had tampered with a lock at her home and could get inside.

And among the last messages, he wrote, “You’re really forcing my hand”.

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Moss, a delivery driver, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to a charge of harassment without violence.

A report by the Probation Service said Moss accepted drug use had played a part in his behaviour.

David Forrester, defending, said: “There are clearly some issues that need dealing with.

“He’s a young man who came out of the army in 2015 and has struggled to find his place in the world.”

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Magistrates fined Moss £266, with a £114 victim surcharge and £85 court costs – and imposed a two-year restraining order.

It prohibits him from contacting the woman by any means or to go anywhere he knows her to be, and not to enter Castleford Road, Hylton Castle.

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