A BONHILL man who left his ex fearing for her safety after he called her almost 250 times in the space of a single day has been jailed.

John Connelly appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday after pleading guilty to making “an excessive number of phone calls” to the woman during a 19-hour period on December 16, 2017.

And the court was told he had been sentenced to six months for a similar offence just seven days before his appearance in the dock in Dumbarton.

Fiscal depute Gemma McKechnie said: “The accused and the complainer were in a relationship for around six months from June until Christmas 2017.

“On the date in question the complainer received 248 phone contacts from the accused in the form of standard calls, video calls and on WhatsApp.”

The calls ranged from zero seconds to more than four minutes long.

Fearing for her safety, the woman phoned the police, who came to her home – and while they were there, she received another call from Connelly, who this time confirmed he was the person behind the calls.

Judith Reid, defending Connelly, said he had been sentenced to six months in jail for a similar offence on April 18 at Paisley Sheriff Court.

“I don’t think there is much I can ask you to do,” Ms Reid told Sheriff John Hamilton.

“The position between Mr Connelly and the complainer, as I understand it, is that there has been an on-off relationship for at least the last two years, until relatively recently.

“He tells me he does not wish to continue that relationship. When the complainer contacts him on his release, which he says she will, he tells me he will contact police straight away.”

Sheriff John Hamilton imposed a four-month jail term, backdated to March 12, when Connelly was first taken into custody.

The sheriff added: “You are the author of your own misfortune.”