A serving prisoner breached a restraining order by contacting his ex partner while behind bars after saving her number under the name of another woman in his phone. The victim said the impact of the harassment on her mental health made her feel "life was not worth living".
Background and breaches
Wayne Thomas, 50, was jailed for four years in 2022 for offences against his ex partner, and was made subject to a restraining order on an indefinite basis. He was recalled to prison in June last year after breaching the restraining order, and was imprisoned at HMP Parc in Bridgend.
A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard police officers attended the home of the victim in January this year and a SIM card was recovered which revealed the defendant and the victim had been in contact with each other between July and November 2025.
Investigation and guilty plea
An investigation revealed the victim had been saved in Thomas' phone under the name Jessica Freeman in a bid to hide his contact with her. The former couple appeared to be on good terms in the messages, with the victim telling the defendant she "loved him more than air". Thomas later pleaded guilty to harassment and breach of a restraining order.
The court heard he has 27 previous convictions including multiple breaches of restraining orders, and an offence of violence committed against his ex partner.
Victim impact statement
In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Hannah Head, the victim said: "Wayne subjected me to a high level of violence in the relationship, he had more power than me and used it to exploit me. I was scared when he contacted me when he was released from prison, and when he was back in prison."
"It brought back memories and feelings of past trauma. I fear what he is capable of, I live in constant paranoia. I had to do everything he said and he tried to keep me away from my daughter. My mental health deteriorated, I felt overwhelmed and needed additional help. I have not yet recovered from the physical assault on me. I feel like he's rubbed salt into my wounds..."
"He contacted me again from prison and tried to contact my daughter. I felt he would use anyone to get hold of me... I have been distressed by recent events and felt every day my life was in danger and feared he would call me again. The impact on my mental health makes me feel life is not worth living."
Mitigation and sentence
In mitigation, Rose Glanville said her client's contact with the victim had been mutual, and she said the victim had "engineered" the defendant being able to contact her through the PIN system, during which she had to verify a false identity in order to contact him. Ms Glanville said Thomas had made attempts to ignore the victim but she would contact his mother, and used their relationship as a "threat against his liberty".
Sentencing, Recorder John Philpotts said: "You are a mature man and you should know better than behaving in the way you have done." The judge said the defendant had no respect for court orders.
Thomas was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, and the restraining order in respect of his ex partner remains in place.
