SENDING a series of text messages to a former partner while he was on a date resulted in one woman being hauled before magistrates on Wednesday.

Tami Hickey, 29, of Stockbridge Copse, Peatmoor, pleaded guilty to breaching a non-molestation order which had been in place since last August.

The court heard that Hickey, who suffers from emotional unstable personality disorder, was forbidden from contacting her former partner except by text to arrange visits with their two children.

Crown prosecutor Kate Prince said that, on October 27 last year, Hickey had got wind that her former partner was out on a date with another woman and began to send a series of text messages to him that were not related to child care arrangements.

Ms Prince said that Hickey continued to send the messages, even when it was pointed out to her that she was in direct breach of the court order.

“The messages were clearly not about arranging child contact,” said the prosecutor.

The couple’s two children had been left with one of the man’s relatives and Hickey, according to Ms Prince, was angry that she hadn’t been consulted first.

The court heard that this was the first breach of the order in the two months it had been in place and that Hickey has no previous convictions.

A representative from the probation service said the defendant received medication for her personality disorder, but at the time of the breach she had run out.

After briefly retiring to consider their verdict, magistrates sought to impress upon Hickey the seriousness of breaching a court order.

The defendant was fined £110 which is to be deducted from her benefits. The bench declined to impose further punishment but warned Hickey that she could potentially face a custodial sentence if she finds herself in breach of the court order once again.

Hickey signalled her gratitude to magistrates as she left the dock.