A woman was left in constant fear after her ex-boyfriend threatened to slit her throat and petrol bomb her home in a series of explicit and disturbing phone rants.

Describing Jack Poore as a “very unhinged individual”, she told Canterbury Crown Court the anxiety she suffered as a result of his behaviour was “overwhelming” and had forced her to change her daily routine.

Such was the extreme nature of her former partner’s four-month campaign of harassment that the sentencing judge even questioned why the 32-year-old had not been prosecuted for a more serious offence.

As well as having a previous conviction for assaulting the same woman during what she described as a “toxic and controlling” relationship, Poore was also on bail, in breach of two protective orders made by two separate courts, and subject to a suspended sentence.

The court heard he also had a history of poor compliance with previous orders designed to prevent him contacting the woman when, in March this year, he began to plague her with calls and messages.

He initially left a number of voicemails, first describing how he was “broken” and still loved her, before launching into a foul-mouthed tirade in which he branded her a “dirty, cheating little c***”, threatened to “slice” her and to “wish death” upon her.

Prosecutor Alban Brahimi said the victim then received a Snapchat message from the defendant using the name John James in which he sinisterly warned: “You will be in a petrol bomb by 10pm.”

"He has a problem with alcohol and can become very violent when he drinks. But he can be just as nasty without alcohol..."

Other threats from the warehouseman followed, as well as highly derogatory and offensive insults but interspersed with apologies and requests for communication on a “human to human level.”

He also repeated his warped desire to kill her and, when she bravely retorted she was not scared, Poore continued: “I would be. You are just a snake c*** and I want you to die. You won’t make 30 and you certainly won’t make 50 because I will kill you.”

The victim later told police how Poore’s behaviour was “playing havoc” with her mental health.

“It’s the fear of when those threats are going to happen,” she wrote in a statement read to the court by the prosecutor.

“Living with the anxiety is overwhelming. I constantly live in fear of Jack. He is a very unhinged individual.

“He has a problem with alcohol and can become very violent when he drinks. But he can be just as nasty without alcohol.”

Poore, of Hope Avenue, Hadlow, admitted a charge of harassment, as well as breaches of a non-molestation order, a restraining order and a suspended sentence order.

Danielle Byford, defending, told the court at Poore’s sentencing hearing last Friday (December 1) that he wanted his ex-girlfriend to know he never intended to carry out his threats.

She added that his behaviour was in fact “a broken man’s cry for help.”

“He says the words were vile and is disgusted with himself. Just reading them makes him feel sick,” Ms Byford said.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Very serious distress was caused and your victim was required to make lifestyle changes..."

Imposing a jail term of 34 months and three weeks, Recorder Daniel Stevenson highlighted how his sentencing powers were limited in respect of offending which included messages “far more violent” than ones ordinarily seen in harassment cases.

He told Poore: “You sent messages containing explicit threats to kill your victim.

“Another judge at this court requested a review of the decision not to charge you with the more serious offence of making a threat to kill.

“The Crown Prosecution Service said they considered harassment to be the appropriate charge.

“The decision to prosecute an offence is a matter for the CPS even if judges at this court disagree with it. The consequence is I cannot sentence you for the more serious offence.”

Referring to the impact of his “unpleasant, unwanted, aggressive and threatening” conduct, Recorder Stevenson added that Poore had not shown any genuine remorse and had even tried to blame his former girlfriend.

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Very serious distress was caused and your victim was required to make lifestyle changes,” he said.

“You may have had a drinking problem but it is something you have been able to control in the past and you have been given every opportunity from the probation service and every warning as to what could happen.”