A DEPRAVED stalker who preyed on a woman during a six-month campaign of abuse, bombarding her with hundreds of violent, threatening messages, has been jailed.

Gareth Clatworthy sent his victim more than 500 messages calling her a 'whore', a 'b**ch', and a 'chemical filled bag of ugly flesh' during his reign of terror after their virtual love affair came to an end.

The 39-year-old also created hundreds of fake social media profiles to harass her before threatening to kill her new partner saying 'I am going to burn his body, I am going to beat him to death with my fists'.

Clatworthy, of Nursery End, Stanford in the Vale, had already admitted one count of stalking and another of sending threatening communications conveying a threatening message.

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At his sentencing at Oxford Crown Court yesterday, presiding Judge Nigel Daly called the ordeal 'persistent and prolonged'.

He said: "You sent hundreds of messages, you made very, very nasty threats; extremely unpleasant threats.

"Threats of violence made not only towards her but towards other people as well."

Outlining the case, prosecutor Cathy Olliver said that Clatworthy first struck up an online relationship with his eventual victim via social media platform Instagram.

The pair exchanged naked images and at first, the court heard, the relationship was 'positive.'

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Not long after, the woman – who lives in the north of England – became 'concerned' at the level of contact and very quickly tried to end the online fling.

This enraged Clatworthy and between October last year and April this year he carried out a predatory campaign of abuse, creating more than 200 separate social media accounts in a bid to stay in touch with her.

He also sent the woman a Google Earth image of her home address, despite not being told by her where she lived, and never having visited her.

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As the abuse continued Clatworthy went on to threaten to send the naked pictures of her to her place or work and told her he would make her 'the laughing stock' of the office.

He also phoned her workplace numerous times and sent messages to her friend.

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Among the vile messages which were read to the court Clatworthy told the woman that she was 'pathetic' and that he was going to 'ruin her life' and 'completely destroy' her.

In one message he told the woman 'I am going to ruin your job and tell all your colleagues what you are really like'. In another he said 'my life is completely meaningless but I will take you with me'.

In total he sent the woman 548 messages during the ordeal.

He also made threats against her new partner and sent him 23 messages, including threats that he would 'f**k him up' calling him 'a dead man'.

In a victim personal statement the woman said that as a result of the abuse she now had trouble sleeping and it had affected her confidence.

In mitigation at the hearing his defence barrister Christopher Pembridge said that his client had been 'isolated' at the time of the offences and that his internet use had been purely 'escapism'.

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He said: "He has found himself on his own and beginning to rely on escapism in what he saw was an online relationship.

"He accepts he became addicted to social media. This offence was committed entirely over the internet, entirely remotely."

Mr Pembridge said that his client had never been to his victim's address or intended to go there to see her in person and added that he showed 'genuine remorse' for his actions.

Sentencing, Judge Nigel Daly called the offences 'persistent and prolonged' and Clatworthy was jailed for 20 weeks for the stalking with no separate penalty for the malicious communication.

He was also made subject to a restraining order against his victims and must pay a victim surcharge.