Man flouted court order by sending 'numerous electronic messages'

Andrew Scott Bateman was convicted in his absence of breaching a non-molestation order after he failed to turn up for his trial earlier this year.

He has now received an 18-week jail term, which was suspended for 18 months, when he appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court to be sentenced.

The court decided that the punishment could be suspended because the messages, which were sent between October 2019 and February 2020, dated back nearly two years and because “only one non-relatable offence” had been committed during this period.

Bateman, 30, of Bruce Kirkup Road, Horden, also faced two charges of failing to surrender to custody in June.

Both counts, however, were dismissed at the latest hearing.

He was also ordered to pay a £128 victim surcharge and £200 prosecution costs by January 5 of next year and to complete a 30-day Building Better Relationships course.

Read more: Jailed before Christmas - the latest Hartlepool and East Durham criminals to be locked up

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