Jail for Derbyshire man who threatened to kill his ex-partner

A man is behind bars for harassing and threatening his ex-partner and her friend.

Benjamin Ellis, of Riddings, near Alfreton pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment during the case which was hard at Derby Crown Court.

Despite having bail conditions not to contact her due to other allegations, the 20-year-old called her 85 times in one day and sent her horrific messages and made threats to kill her and those she loved back in April this year.

He also sent the woman’s friend a number of threatening messages and tried to force his way into the victim’s house by kicking and banging on the door and windows.

Concerned for the safety of others in the house at the time, the woman went outside, but Ellis continued to be verbally aggressive. He also grabbed her and tried to get her into a car.

Officers were alerted after her friend dialled 999, and he was arrested and subsequently charged.

Ellis was sentenced to two years in a young offender’s institution and given a 10-year restraining order to prevent him from contacting the woman, along with a two-year restraining order to prevent him contacting her friend.

Detective Staff Investigator Jay Cheatle, who helped to investigate the case, said: “The threats which were made in these messages were truly terrible, and it is no surprise that his actions caused the woman and her friend a huge amount of distress.

“This behaviour just isn’t acceptable, and we will always work hard to ensure offenders are brought to justice. This type of offence won’t be tolerated, and we would encourage anyone who might be experiencing this to report it to us.”

You can report domestic abuse, which can include harassment, using our online reporting form here: Report Domestic Abuse.

Alternatively, you can also contact us on the following non-emergency methods below.

• Facebook – send us a private message to our Facebook page
• Twitter – direct message our contact centre via @DerPolContact
• Website – We have several crime reporting tools on our website or use our online contact form
• Phone – call us on 101

If you or someone else are in immediate danger or you need support right away, call 999 now.

If you’re deaf or hard of hearing, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS service.