A stalker who was found cuddling his ex-girlfriend’s coat in her bed after breaking into her home has pleaded guilty to intimidating and threatening her.
Michael Johnston, from Darlington, County Durham, climbed through a window and entered his victim’s home on May 18 before hiding in her bedroom.
When she came home she found the 27-year-old asleep and caressing her jacket in her bed.
Johnston carried out a fortnight-plus campaign of intimidation and threatening violence towards his ex-girlfriend. He’ll be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court (pictured) next month
Johnston is facing a prison sentence for a fortnight-plus campaign of intimidation and threatening violence towards his former partner.
Between May 1 and May 18 he caused the woman to fear she would be attacked and violence would be used against her.
Appearing in Teesside Crown Court yesterday, Johnston accepted that on May 1, he made an unwarranted visit to her home and both threatened to, and used, violence.
On May 12, he went to her home for a second time – and the following day, visited again and threatened to hurt her.
On May 17, he sent her threatening text messages. On May 18, he turned up to her home, broke in through a window and ‘concealed himself in her bedroom, where she found him’.
The victim discovered Johnston in her bed, asleep and cuddling her coat.
Judge Morris remanded Johnston in custody, and he will be sentenced on October 15.
He was due to go on trial at Teesside yesterday, but admitted the offences at the very last minute.
He will be sentenced next month after a background report is prepared on him by the Probation Service.
Judge Sean Morris told defence lawyer Ben Pegman: ‘In these cases, I always demand a report.’
Morris then told Johnston: ‘You were very wise to see sense in the end. In view of the fact you have pleaded guilty, I will grant you a pre-sentence report.
‘It might help you, it might not. I know you want this to be dealt with today, but I need to know more about you.
‘Don’t read into the granting of a pre-sentence report that the sentence will be anything other than a custodial one.’
The particulars of the intimidation read: ‘Knowing she was to be a witness in proceedings for an offence, you issued a threat to her not to take the complaint of assault she had made against you any further, thereby causing the investigation to be obstructed.’