A MAN retaliated to threats an intimate picture of him would be posted online by threatening to beat his former partner like a dog.

Lee Richmond and his now ex-girlfriend began exchanging tense messages after she discovered he had been unfaithful.

She then attempted to upload a private picture of him to Facebook, and sent him a screenshot of what she was doing, a court heard.

He responded with a tirade of abusive messages including the threat to assault her.

The 37-year-old admitted conveying a threatening message at Colchester Magistrates’ Court.

Representing himself, Richmond, of Harcourt Avenue, Dovercourt, he said he had been embarrassed by the leaking of the picture but now wanted to move on with his life.

“I should never have spoken to her the way I did, but I did receive messages from her which were similar,” he said.

“I don’t speak to her anymore and just want to put it all behind me.

“I hope we can both move on and be happy. It never had to come to this - we were both upset at the time.”

Magistrates said commercial tyre fitter Richmond had suffered a high-level of provocation and fined him £167.

He must must pay costs of £145 and a £30 victim surcharge.