A father-of-five narrowly escaped spending Christmas in prison after he admitted threatening his wife and setting fire to her wedding dress.

Dean Rowe, of Windermere Road, Clacton, admitted sending his estranged wife abusive and threatening text messages after finding out she was seeing another man.

Colchester magistrates yesterday heard how Rowe had borrowed the family car to pick up his children for the weekend on November 23.

During the weekend he discovered from the children that his wife had been seeing another man.

Farah Ramzan, prosecuting, said: "He started to send abusive and threatening text messages. He went to drop the children off and discovered his partner wasn't there.

"He left in the car and went to their house in Norfolk."

She said Rowe then started a fire in the fireplace and burnt their wedding photographs and her wedding dress before police arrived at the house.

Matthew Swash, mitigating, said Rowe was under the impression the pair were trying to sort out their differences and get back together when he found out she had been seeing another man.

"They had agreed they could try and get the relationship going again at some point.

"The children came to the house and said she had been seeing another man - he said that was hard.

"The threats he was sending, he said, were empty threats."

Rowe admitted harassment and criminal damage.

Magistrates imposed a community order with a requirement for supervision for 18 months.

He must also attend a domestic abuse programme and an alcohol treatment programme, and was made subject to a restraining order. Costs of £75 had to be paid.