AN obsessive ex who lured his former partner to meet by setting up a fake dating profile has escaped jail time. 

Ethan Burdett, 62, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, at Chelmsford Crown Court after admitting a charge of stalking against his former partner Deborah Miller.

The court heard between September and December last year, Burdett, carried out a campaign of harassment where he contacted her via phone, text, followed her and even tricked her into a face-to-face encounter by catfishing her with a fake dating profile.

Gareth Hughes, prosecuting, said Burdett’s behaviour became an issue after a short relationship between the couple broke down.

He added: “There was repeated and unwanted contact with her by text message and it appeared where she went he would turn up.

“On one occasion, in September 2017, she took her son to hospital and noticed he was following her in his car.

“Most peculiarly though, he created a fake internet dating profile.

“She had joined a dating website and one of the men she spoke to was called Jack Mason.

“They exchanged numbers, messages and even spoke on the phone.

“They arranged to meet on a Saturday in Ipswich Marina.

“The person she spoke to on the phone was not the defendant and when it was organised she spoke to someone else.

“However, when she attended, expecting to meet this Jack Mason, it was the defendant who appeared.”

Burdett, who lives on a boat in Tollesbury Marina, carried on contacting Ms Miller until he was arrested, telling her he loved her and wanted to get back together.

Andrew Newton, mitigating, said his client’s action had been extremely stupid, but he was not motivated by malice.

“None of the actions were followed by physical threat,” he said.

“There was no intent to cause distress or alarm however it is accepted that the defendant should have know the affects this behaviour would have had.”

Sentencing him to six months in prison, suspended for two years, Judge Patricia Lynch also ordered Burdett to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, 29 hour s of relationship therapy and ten rehabilitation days.

A restraining order was also put in place for ten years, saying he must not contact Ms Miller, either directly or indirectly.

Judge Lynch said: “The reason why these cases are so serious is because of what is unsaid and effectively you made this lady’s life a misery because you could.”

She added: “The long and short of it is at your age you should have known better.”