AN 'idiotic and foolish' man narrowly avoided jail after pleading guilty to harassing his former wife by threatening to post explicit images of her and sending a series of abusive text messages.

Michael Bolton had been on remand for more than a month after sending an explicit picture of the woman to her boyfriend following an argument between the pair.

The 43-year-old, of Gatesgarth Close, Hartlepool, was charged with harassment without violence in connection with the sending of the picture and another charge of breaching a restraining order.

Teesside Magistrates Court was told that the Crown Prosecution Service was offering no evidence in relation to charge one and the defendant had pleaded guilty to the second charge.

Louise Harrison, prosecuting, said Bolton had already breached the restraining order on two previous occasions and the latest offence took place over a protracted period from March 30 until May 3 when the text messages moved from a mix of proclamations of love and abuse to threats of sending explicit images of his former wife.

Ms Harrison said: "She says the restraining order was useless, he had never taken any notice of it. She says it makes her feel sick to her stomach and she cried when she understood photographs had been sent to her now ex-partner."

In mitigation, Neil Taylor said he told his client that he had acted like an idiot and described his actions as infantile.

"It's foolish," he said. "It's sad and it has deprived him of his liberty; he has been punished already; you may think he needs to be punished again."

Bolton was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months while a new five-year restraining order was issued banning him from contacting his former wife. He was also ordered to pay £85 in court costs and £80 in victim surcharge.