Stalker wrote to woman claiming his mum had died then got a message from her

29 January 2024 , 20:32

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Mitchell Newns was jailed for breaching the restraining order

A stalker who claimed in a letter from prison to a woman his mum had died was caught out when his mother contacted her.

Following his release from prison in August last year, Mitchell Newns woke the woman by shouting her name and making a banging noise. Concerned, she stayed in her bedroom and called her sister who found Newns had damaged the side gate and a wooden panel on the shed.

Preston Crown Court heard Newns claimed he had been collecting a strimmer and accused his ex of being with another man. The following month, the woman contacted her ex telling him to leave her alone. She then received messages from a family member of his, in which he had asked them to contact the woman on his behalf, the court heard.

Newns, of Hammond Row, Preston, pleaded guilty to breach of a restraining order and was sentenced to six months in prison, LancsLive reported. Jack Troupe, prosecuting, said: "Whilst in custody he contacted her on one occasion, telling her his mother had passed away. He accepts that wasn't true.

"The woman herself received communication from Mr Newns' mother and expressed her surprise as she believed her to have passed away. There was also communication in which he said he loved her and couldn't live without her." Anthony Parkinson, defending, said while in prison, Newns has abstained from drugs and alcohol and has been offered accommodation in a “dry house” when he is released.

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Judge Simon Medland KC, sentencing, said: "You must understand, if you haven't stumbled upon it already, that the maximum sentence for breaching a restraining order is five years. If you breach this again, you can confidently expect a sentence of the order of twice this length."

Rachel Smith