A REJECTED lover set up fake Facebook profiles to harass his former partner and her new flame.

Michael Redmond appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court and admitted two counts of harassment without violence.

He admitted harassing his ex between November and December.

Redmond, 46, of Boley Drive, Clacton, also admitted harassing her new partner who is disabled. The court heard the abuse amounts to a disability hate crime.

Henny Tatum, prosecuting, told the court Redmond set up at least three fake profiles and began sending messages to the pair and others, from all the profiles, claiming the barmaid was “rinsing” her new partner for cash and would dump him too.

She told the court he had split up with his ex in February last year and could not handle it when she found someone else in September.

Police gave him a harassment warning in October but Redmond continued.

Ms Tatum said one of the messages he sent to the man, who walks with crutches and uses a wheelchair, was: “I am coming for you mongel.”

She added: “After it were a number of emojis of a handgun.”

Redmond also sent a post to her work mocking her relationship with a disabled man.

The new boyfriend, in a victim impact statement read to the court, said: “The ongoing harassment caused me to feel intimidated. This has made things worse.

“I don’t know this bloke at all. He could be anyone. I feel frightened. I am on crutches and also use a wheelchair.

“I feel vulnerable if he was to approach me I would not be able to defend myself.”

Redmond’s ex said in her statement she also felt frightened.

The court heard Redmond was caught after the accounts were traced back to him.

He said he regrets in particular focusing on the disability of one of his victims.

Evelyn Hicks, mitigating, said Redmond was of previous good character.

She told the court the woman had also been sending him “terribly unpleasant” messages about his conditions.

She said: “He very much regrets the reference to disability. It was in the heat of the moment.”

District Judge Susan Holdham rejected this pointing out the length of time of the harassment and stating posting pictures of guns and making threats was not in the heat of the moment.

She said: “These were vile, disgusting and frightening threats. You sent messages to both on November 11 and 14. On November 15 you sent an explicitly threatening message to him.”

Redmond was sentenced to six weeks in jail for harassing his former partner which was suspended for two years.

He was sentenced to 18 weeks concurrently for harassing the man, due to the explicit threats and the addition of it being a hate crime. This which was also suspended.

Redmond was ordered to carry out a programme on building better relationships, rehabilitation activity and 180 hours of unpaid work. He was ordered to pay £200 in costs and given two restraining orders.