A man bombarded a woman he met on online dating app Tinder with "aggressive messages" after she tried to break up their relationship, a court heard.

Magistrates said the victim was subjected to "sustained mental anguish by very targeted harassment which caused her a lot of anxiety.”

Ryan Evans, 29, pleaded guilty to harassment without violence when he appeared at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court.

The charge refers to a period between June 17 and June 23 last year when the defendant sent messages and made phone calls to a Dorset woman that she found distressing.

Siobhan Oxley, prosecuting, said: “The defendant met the victim on Tinder in February 2023.

“She wanted to take it slow and they started to date some time afterwards.

“She had her concerns about his behaviour and on June 17 she sent a message saying ‘I am ok, not feeling it at the moment’.

“Evans replied ‘What have I done?’

“The victim replied: ‘It is just very full on at the moment, it is too much to handle.’

“Evans then bombarded her with 50 messages in the space of an hour and called her nine times using WhatsApp.

“He made threats to smash her property up.

“The victim phoned the police, scared he would come to her house.

“The police arrived (at her home) at which point Evans phoned her again and an officer spoke to him on the phone.

“He said he was on his way to her house, and was coming to pick up an air pump and a swimming pool filter. Police told him not to attend and he went home.

“After the police left, Evans sent her two more messages."

The prosecutor added: “On June 19 and 21, he sent more messages which became more aggressive.

“He was arrested on September 23.

“The defendant denies sending messages threatening to damage property.”

Lee Christmas, mitigating, said: “He suffers from mental health issues.

“At the time of the offending, he was not taking his medication.

“He has Schizoaffective disorder and is now subject to a community treatment order which forces him to take his medication.

“The only part he disputes is threats to damage the property.

“He accepts he was harassing the victim.”

Evans, of Hathermead Gardens in Yeovil, was given a conditional discharge for 12 months.

He was given a restraining order not to contact the victim or visit her home for 18 months.

He was ordered to pay £250 in compensation and a £26 surcharge.

Alan Bennett, chair of the magistrates' bench told the defendant: “We sympathise with your mental health issues but they are no excuse for harassing someone.

“The victim was subjected to sustained mental anguish by very targeted harassment which caused her a lot of anxiety.”