A STALKER with a history of harassing former partners has been jailed for more than two years after following his ex to the supermarket and getting in her car.

Adrian Matthews split up with his girlfriend in March this year but bombarded her with up to 30 unwanted phone calls per day and later repeatedly emailed her.

The woman successfully applied for a non-molestation order to keep him away from her but Matthews, 43, began driving past her house and continued to message her.

At one stage he followed her to the Asda in Turner Rise, Colchester, climbed into the footwell of her car and sat there for 30 minutes to stop her leaving.

He then arrived at her home and quizzed her about her social life and who she had been seeing.

Matthews, of De Grey Road, Colchester, was later found in the woman’s garden saying he was fixing her gate which she suspected he had deliberately broken, turned up at a convenience store where she was shopping and was seen loitering on the woman’s route to work.

In June, Matthews was arrested when he followed her again to the Asda store and the woman was so worried she called store security.

He admitted stalking and breaching a non-molestation order shortly before a trial was due to start.

Matthews has previous convictions for harassing two other ex-partners.

Sentencing him to 25 months in jail, Judge Martyn Levett described him as a Jekyll and Hyde character when it comes to his relationship with woman and his friends and family.

He said: “You are a person who becomes utterly obsessive about others when they reject you.

“I am quite certain she has had to change her behaviour, lifestyle and routine because of you.

“It was all done to intimidate her.”

Matthews was handed a seven year restraining order stopping him from going within

100 metres of the victims home or to Asda unless for work purposes after 9am.

Shade Abiodun, mitigating said Matthews was sorry and had taken steps to change his behaviour, including paying for private counselling.

He plans to move away from Colchester when he is released to give the victim peace of mind.

Matthews was also ordered to pay £506 in compensation to the victim.