A 27-year-old man from Douglas has been jailed for 20 weeks after admitting threatening his ex-girlfriend.

Darren Noel Dooley, of Oak Avenue, pleaded guilty to three offences of threatening behaviour, theft and intimidating a witness. He had previously denied the offences and a trial had been scheduled for March 2018 but changed his pleas when he appeared before Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes on Tuesday.

The court heard Dooley had already served 25 days on remand.

Prosecutor Mark Benson told the court how Dooley had split up with his partner after they had lived together.

On August 6 she had returned to the home they had shared to collect some belongings. She had left the house at 10.20am but as she got into a car with her friend Dooley got into the back seat. He swore and accused her of stealing his keys and he then threw items out of the car saying: ’You thief.’

Dooley also swore at the other woman in the car before getting out of the car and going into the house. The women called the police but Dooley came back out and tried to get into the car again. The women managed to drive away but Dooley’s ex then discovered that her phone was missing.

Dooley was arrested and initially denied taking the phone. However, while in a police cell he used another phone which he was said to have hidden, to call a friend asking him to retrieve the woman’s phone from his garden.

Dooley’s friend was identified and found in possession of the stolen phone.

Dooley was interviewed again and again denied the theft, saying that his ex had dropped it in the garden.

He said he had made attempts to have it returned and was bailed by police.

However, on August 7 the woman received a phone call from a man she said was Dooley, who said: ’Where are you? I’ll find you and smash you.’ He was subsequently charged with intimidating a witness.

Dooley was also found to have breached his bail conditions on a later date by driving past the woman’s house and shouting. Defending him in court, advocate Ian Kermode said: ’It’s fair to say Mr Dooley’s relationship with the woman ended acrimoniously.

’He was very upset and accepts he acted aggressively.

’With regards to the phone he would say his phone had gone missing when she was in the house and he gave a written statement to the police about that. While in custody he asked a relative to bring her phone to the police station.

’Regarding the intimidation, emotions were running high after he was granted bail. He has described the relationship as "toxic". ’He accepts the call was intimidating but says he did not intend any physical harm.’