A spurned husband threatened to kill his ex-partner after she finished with him by text message, a court heard.

Paul Buss, of Marine Terrace, Folkestone, also “bombarded” the woman with text messages saying he would “smash the granny” out of her and ran a smear campaign online.

The 51-year-old also hammered on her front door threatening to kill the woman after receiving the text in June, the court heard.

The text said: “I am seeing someone else.”

The harassment, which took place until August, made the victim too scared to walk down the street, Folkestone Magistrates’ Court heard.

Unemployed Buss pleaded guilty to harassment without violence and failing to provide a specimen, after being arrested at the victim’s address on Saturday, July 8.

Prosecutor Neil Sweeney read a victim statement saying: “I’m scared of him, I’m scared walking down the street, I look in every car to see if he is there.

“I pick myself to bits because of the stress. I feel sick with worry and have trouble sleeping.”

The court heard that unemployed Buss, of Marine Terrace, drove his blue Ford Mondeo to the victim’s home after she asked him to leave her alone in a phone conversation.

"I pick myself to bits because of the stress. I feel sick with worry and have trouble sleeping" - Victim

She heard smashing at the front door, with Buss threatening to break the window before calling police on 999.

Police who attended the scene found the Mondeo abandoned at the side of the road with Buss appearing intoxicated. He refused to take a breath test.

After his release, Buss updated his Facebook status with an abusive reference to the “dirty” woman, claiming she “gave me chlamydia”, the court heard.

Robert Quinn, defending, told District Judge Justin Barron of Buss’s remorse, saying his actions were out of character.

On sentencing, Judge Barron said: “Whilst it was a very difficult time you were going through, you handled it entirely in the wrong way.”

Buss was given 10 points on his driving licence, a two-year restraining order, 20 days’ rehabilitation, a 10-week curfew and fined £205.