Bristol Magistrates Court

A JILTED labourer who could not deal with rejection posted intimate images of his ex-girlfriend online and sent them to her new boyfriend.

Anastasija Mazepa was left devastated and afraid after Artuis Lobacs, 25, stalked her, bombarded her with text messages and emails, and set up a fake Facebook account under her name to post even more images.

Lobacs, of Tyndale Avenue, Fishponds was at Bristol Magistrates’ Court to be sentenced after pleading guilty to harassing Ms Mazepa between August 29 and October 12.

Richard Nicholls, prosecuting, said the relationship came to an end at the beginning of 2014 but in August she discovered he had been asking her friends and had visited her mother to ask when she would be returning to Bristol from Latvia.

After Ms Mazepa did eventually return at the end of August he located her on a bus and sat next to her.

“She explained the relationship was over and that she didn’t want him to contact her,” Mr Nicholls said.

“She went shopping but when she returned some hours after he was still waiting for her at the bus stop and followed her onto the bus.

“It was at this point he threatened her that he would send intimate photos of her to her friends and family if they didn’t get back together.

“He said effectively that she had hurt him emotionally and he would do the same to her.”

Ms Mazepa returned to Latvia but while there Lobacs sent some intimate pictures of her to her new boyfriend via Facebook the court heard.

And since the summer Lobacs had bombarded Ms Mazepa with numerous texts and emails generally asking to get back together with her but also saying he would ruin her life and destroy her new relationship.

As a result Ms Mazepa changed both her mobile phone numbers.

On one occasion her mother phoned her to say he was at her gates wanting to see her.

Lobacs continued to contact Ms Mazepa and she started to become more concerned about his conduct.

On one occasion he waited eight hours at a bus stop for her to appear and twice called at her house, knocking on windows and doors causing her to phone the police.

On October 11 she received a friend request from somebody with the same name as her and when going onto the page found semi-naked photos of her taken three years earlier, leaving her feeling sick.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Mazepa said she was scared of leaving her house on her own, struggled to sleep, and was constantly looking over her shoulder because she was terrified what he would do next.

Defending, Angela Thornton said: “He was in love with somebody. That it ended was her choice and he struggled to come to terms with that. He regrets bitterly what occurred.”

Magistrates told Lobacs: “This was nasty, vindictive behaviour that was completely unnecessary and put a young lady in fear.”

Lobacs was given a 12-month community order with 200 hours unpaid work and a three-month tagged curfew between 9pm and 6am.

An indefinite restraining order was also put in place and he must pay Ms Mazepa £100 compensation.