A man tried to flood his ex-girlfriend’s home three times by sticking a hose pipe through her letterbox.
Robert Garner, 34, appeared at Liverpool Magistrates Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to one count of stalking involving serious alarm or distress. Laura Simpson, prosecuting, detailed that Garner’s former partner, Samantha Piert, became aware he had been sleeping in her parked car outside her home, after she had asked him to leave the family home.
The couple had been together for 13 years, but had split-up in December 2022. The car was out of use, therefore could not be locked by the complainant, so she asked her father to move it out of the driveway and received malicious messages from Garner in response.
Ms Simpson detailed that on February 19, at around midnight, Garner attended Ms Piert’s address but she told him to leave. He then became aggressive, shouted “you are f***ing dead”, and hit her door, all while their young children were at home.
She said: “Ms Piert continued to receive abusive messages, including calling her a s**g and threatening to stop her from seeing their children.” Garner then placed a hose through the victim's letter box and turned the water on, flooding her hallway, which she managed to push out.
Ms Piert believed Garner had left so went back to bed, but twenty minutes later he returned and put the hose through the letterbox again. She turned the water off at this point and pushed the hose out, but again he returned and tried to flood the hallway a third time.
Ms Simpson said: “He started banging on the front door for five to ten minutes. He was not going to leave, she had had enough and called the police.” Ms Simpson detailed the incident “caused huge inconvenience” to the victim, and that the damage caused by the flooding had to be fixed by a third party.
Ms Simpson said the victim described that Garner’s increased drinking had led to a worsening of his behaviour, and that she had continued getting abusive messages from him after this incident. Garner was arrested on February 19, and released on police bail with conditions not to contact Ms Piert or attend at her address.
Despite those conditions, on March 7, he sent Ms Piert numerous messages of a hostile nature, including that he would send a video of her to her employer. Following this breach, he was remanded into custody until his sentence date today.
In a victim personal statement, Ms Piert said the harassment she received from the defendant has left her “constantly on edge”. She said she is constantly worried about the possibility of him returning to her home and being abusive, which has left her too scared to answer the front door.
She said: “I do not know what he is capable of and if I am in danger.” Garner has five previous convictions for nine offences, the most recent being battery in 2019.
Carol Clarke, defending, said her client made frank admissions during his police interview, and pleaded guilty in court at the first opportunity. She said: “He has really struggled to come to terms with the fact that she does not want him to come home.
“He accepts his behaviour has been completely and utterly wrong.” Ms Clarke said Garner “wants to change”, and has now accepted that he will not reconcile with his ex-partner and is ready to move forward.
Garner, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete the building better relationships programme, plus 20 rehabilitation days and an alcohol treatment programme. He was also told to pay £120 in prosecution costs, plus the statutory victim surcharge.
A restraining order barring him from contacting the victim was implemented for three years.
READ NEXT
Join the Liverpool ECHO's WhatsApp community for breaking news and top headlines
Mum-of-four who 'lived for her kids' dies suddenly at home
Morrisons selling 55p product that kills weeds 'instantly'
Air ambulance lands in play park as child dies
John Lewis shoppers 'very impressed' with £33 'bargain summer dress'
