Man 'stalked ex from one end of Leeds to the other' and lit fire outside her home
Woman told court how she was terrorised by spiteful former partner.
A thug who was ordered to keep away from his ex partner lit a fire outside her home when she refused to answer his messages.
Matthew Ward was subject to a restraining order but persistently ignored it over the Christmas period.
The judge at Leeds Crown Court described it as “very, very disturbing behaviour” and said that Ward would “just not let go” of the relationship.
The 33-year-old, of no fixed address, was jailed this morning after admitting breaching the order and arson.
It was heard that the couple’s relationship ended in November 2024 and the two-year restraining order was imposed just weeks later.
But on December 22 last year he sent her messages asking what her and their children were doing for Christmas.
He then turned up on Christmas Day to drop off presents.
The next day Ward called her and sent messages threatening to damage her car if she did not reply.
In the early hours of the following day, she was away from her Farsley home when she received a picture from Ward showing a fire - with rubbish he had lit outside her home.
When she got home the fire was put and Ward had gone.
But he then sent her a chilling message telling he that he knew she was home. He also made further threats about damaging her vehicle.
Ward also returned to the address later in the day and was seen trying to get in.
On December 28 he sent more messages threatening to attack her house and warned her “keep her windows closed”.
He was arrested on January 21 and denied wrongdoing, claiming the woman just “wanted attention”.
In a victim impact statement the woman, summarised to the court by the judge Recorder Caroline Goodwin KC, said she felt like she was being permanently watched by Ward.
Recorder Goodwin said: “He terrorised me, the children and the family.
“He has stalked me from one end of Leeds to the other.”
She said he would “create stress and pressure” by telling her that he knew where she was.
Ward has 38 previous convictions for 78 offences.
Mitigating, Stephen Smithson said Ward had taken parental responsibilities for his children and his ex partner’s children. He said the he was a good worker and reliable.
Addressing Ward, who was being held on remand at HMP Leeds, Recorder Goodwin told him: “It was appalling conduct towards her when bluntly, you could not get your own way.
“Your future is mapped out for you unless you start to take control of your own life.
“The victim impact statement makes for distressing reading. She feels mentally tortured.”
She described the fire he started as “petty, mean and spiteful”.
She jailed Ward for 32 months in total, and gave him a new restraining order of an indefinite length.