A SOUTHAMPTON mum has told how she found a stalker creeping into her home while she was in bed.

Nigel Jones threatened to kill himself if former partner Melanie Gregg didn’t speak to him, before bombarding her with emails and calls.

His offending reached “disturbing” and “extreme” levels when he snuck into the home in Brading Close, Swaythling which she shared with her young son and went into her bedroom.

Southampton Magistrates’ Court heard that Jones, an ex-pupil at Cantell School, sent 13 emails to Ms Gregg as well as calling her from his ex-wife and his sister’s phone 31 times.

Prosecuting, Sarah Lodge told the court that Jones had been in a relationship with Ms Gregg for around six years but that it finished in April.

They continued to be intimate until Ms Gregg completely stopped the relationship in the days before Jones, 32, said he would commit suicide unless she spoke to him.

Ms Lodge said: “On October 20 Ms Gregg got a message saying that he was going to kill himself by taking an overdose.

“Ms Gregg called the police but he was found to be safe and well.”

She added: “On October 29, Ms Gregg got into bed.

“Jones then entered her property and went upstairs to try and speak to her.

“Ms Gregg said they could talk downstairs.

“He followed closely as they went down.

“She told him they were going outside and she then pushed him outside and waited for the police to arrive.”

In a victim statement read to the court, Ms Gregg said the incident had made her change how she lived and left her scared to leave her own home.

She said: “Nigel’s behaviour made me feel so awful.

“I felt there would be no end to his behaviour.

“He made me paranoid.

“I was uncomfortable and scared every time my phone went off I thought it would be him.”

Ms Gregg added: “This is not normal behaviour.”

The court heard that Jones, who graduated from Southampton Solent University in 2011, was sentenced to a community order in April for damaging property belonging to Ms Gregg.

Mitigating, Raymond Tan told the court that Jones did take a number of pills after making the threat to kill himself but “felt stupid and threw them up” and that his offending was “spur of the moment”.

He said: “Jones could not understand why she had severed all ties with him.”

Mr Tan added: “He wanted to try and speak to her to get some form of closure on the relationship.”

In sentencing, District Judge Abdul Sayed said Jones’ actions were “extremely disturbing”.

She added: “You entered into a person’s home without permission and while there was a child there asleep in the house.”

Jones, of Trafalgar Road, Newport, pleaded guilty to stalking.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment and was ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge.

A restraining order was made to protect Ms Gregg.