Bournemouth Crown Court hears Christchurch man Nicholas Bentley posted a naked photo of young mother online and invited men to have sex with her

A YOUNG mother ran sobbing from Bournemouth Crown Court as a judge was told how her "obsessive" ex-boyfriend put a naked photo of her online and invited men to have sex with her.

She later sat visibly shaking and weeping as prosecutor Charles Gabb described the campaign of harassment and abuse she was subjected to by Christchurch man Nicholas Bentley.

He told how the 26-year-old, from Ambassador Close, had refused to accept their brief relationship was over in April last year and had bombarded her with threatening texts and voicemails.

In one he sent her a photo of him with a noose around his neck, along with the message: “This is what you’ve driven me to.”

On 3rd June last year she agreed to meet him in the car park of the Winter Gardens in Bournemouth after receiving the photo.

He had also accused her of cheating on him, and Mr Gabb said she wanted to "somewhat naively" prove to him that she had not.

But sitting in her car, Bentley started calling her a "slag" and "whore." She then noticed that he had a "small, very sharp knife" in his shorts pocket.

The woman said Bentley told her he was going to "stab" her mother. She called the police and Bentley tried to run off when they arrived.

After his arrest he told them he had the knife because he had had a picnic on the beach. He later claimed he was going to use it to self harm.

He was released on bail but was later arrested for controlling and coercive behaviour and remanded in custody.

Last October he appeared at magistrates’ court for sentencing after pleading guilty, and received a 20-month jail sentence suspended for two years. He was also given a 10-year restraining order against his ex.

But Mr Gabb said within two days of being released from prison he had contacted his former girlfriend via Instagram. He also sent her a message saying: "You may have won the battle but I will win the war."

For the next 50 days he continued to phone and message her repeatedly. One read: "Send me back to prison, I don't care."

At one stage he put the naked photo of an "intimate" part of her body on a messaging app with the words: "Who wants to f**k her with me?" He then invited people to send him vile videos and photos of themselves saying his ex would then "choose her favourite".

This had led, Mr Gabb said, to her receiving messages from perverts. Bentley had then constantly contacted the woman telling her he loved her.

When she told him she was in a new relationship, he told her: “I will buy your daughter half a headstone."

Bentley was arrested on 22nd December but claimed the victim had “made the whole thing up”; he later pleaded guilty to possessing a knife and breaching the restraining order.

Reading out a victim impact statement, she told the court: "I can't trust anyone anymore. I have PTSD and am living in fear of what he will do to me when he gets out of prison. I am absolutely petrified of him."

In mitigation, defence barrister Rachel Bailey said the defendant had been diagnosed with PTSD and a personality disorder after being sexually abused as a child.

She said his relationship with the woman was "unhealthy and toxic", but that the defendant accepted "he should not have behaved the way he did".

Jailing Bentley for a total of nine months for the two charges, Judge William Mousley KC also activated the suspended sentence of 20 months. The judge told him his jail time of two years and six months would be reduced for his guilty pleas and he would serve half in prison then be released on licence.

He said the 10-year restraining order would remain.