A thug who threatened to throw acid in his ex-girlfriend's face and burn her mother's house down has been jailed for 18 months.

Stephen Leigh repeatedly breached a restraining order banning him from contacting Amie Brum or going to her home in Sheerness.

The 29-year-old roofing boss ignored the court order over several months last year after Miss Brum had moved in with her mother.

As well as the acid threat, Leigh warned he would “stamp all over” the victim and slash her face.

Maidstone Crown Court heard he bombarded her with phone calls and on one occasion was found asleep in Miss Brum’s bedroom at her former home.

She was left feeling petrified and suffering panic attacks and nightmares, a judge heard.

Despite Leigh’s behaviour, Miss Brum had his third child during the operation of the two-year restraining order.

Leigh, of Neptune Terrace, Sheerness, admitted six breaches between August and December last year.

He has previous convictions for four other breaches of the same order in 2017, as well as two offences of harassment, common assault and criminal damage.

Recorder Tony Baumgartner said Leigh needed to accept the relationship was over.

“When courts make orders they must be followed,” he said.

“It is not for you, for Amie or for anyone to choose to ignore those orders. You simply cannot take things into your own hands and choose what you want to do.

"It is obvious your one-year-old child was conceived after this order was put in place and to some extent there has been some ignorance of this order, or forgiveness of the terms, on Amie's behalf.

"She says she wants her life back and for you to leave her alone. I hope you have now come to the conclusion that the only way for you to move on is for that to happen.

"You must accept that even though you have children together she wants nothing more to do with you."

Prosecutor Bridget Todd said the couple were together for about seven years, but it was not until December 2017 Miss Brum left Leigh and moved in with her mum Rose Brum in nearby Minster.

By then, the restraining order had been in operation for 10 months.

It was imposed after Leigh was convicted of harassment following incidents in which he smashed Miss Brum's mobile phone and threw a bottle at her.

Two of the six breaches, involving threats, were in August last year.

He shouted at Miss Brum: “I'm going to throw acid all over your face and stamp all over you.”

He made so many calls to her that her phone froze.

He also made threats in phone calls to Miss Brum's mother and grandmother.

He told Mrs Brum: “See your daughter's face? I'm going to slash it and burn your house down.”

“It is not for you, for Amie or for anyone to choose to ignore those orders..." Recorder Tony Baumgartner

When arrested at Miss Brum’s former home he swallowed the SIM card to his phone.

The final two breaches, involving abusive phone calls, were made while he was on police bail.

Philip Rowley, defending, said Miss Brum, had chosen to step outside of the order's protection.

"There is an element of some degree of confusion arising from her attitude to the order and she has sometimes contacted him,” he said.

“But he clearly recognises by his pleas of guilty that what he has done is wrong.”

Recorder Baumgartner was told Leigh and Miss Brum were now in new relationships.

Leigh, said to employ nine men working across London and in the south east, has been in custody since he was charged in January.

A new restraining order was made preventing contact with Miss Brum and her mother.