A man who bombarded his former partner with calls after he was arrested for assaulting her has been jailed for a year.

Stephen Higgins threatened the woman he had met on a dating website during the campaign of intimidation demanding she make a retraction statement to the police.

And when an officer came to her house so she could drop the charges the 46-year-old continued calling, refusing to believe it was the police who had answered her phone.

Alex Small, prosecuting. told Swindon Crown Court the woman went to the police shortly before Christmas last year saying he had assaulted her the previous month.

She then made a second complaint on Boxing Day and following his arrest and questioning on December 27 he was released on bail to not contact her.

But almost immediately he started to send the woman texts, Facebook Messenger messages and phone calls.

Mr Small said in one he told her 'He would be coming for her later that say and he would get her'.

He said "As a result she called the police in order to produce a retraction statement. The police attended on her daughter's address on January 1.

"Even as the police are there Mr Higgins is still calling her while she is in the process of producing a retraction statement.

"Eventually a police officer speaks to him to say she is making a retraction statement. He texts again saying 'nice try', obviously not believing the person he was speaking to was a police officer."

Higgins, of Littlejohn Avenue, Melksham, denied two counts of grievous bodily harm and they were dropped due to lack of evidence but he admitted witness intimidation.

Tony Bignall, defending, said his client had been remanded in custody since January and the more serious charges had now been dropped.

He said Higgins accepted the relationship was over and he would be moving back to Melksham, while the complainant lives in Swindon.

Passing sentence Judge Peter Crabtree said "You threatened if she didn't drop the charges you would be coming for her later that day.

"She did drop the charges, she said she did that as she felt under pressure from you to do so."

He imposed a 12 month jail term, which should lead to his immediate release, and imposed a restraining order.