Woman jailed for Facebook messaging her ex-boyfriend's dog
A woman from Liverpool has been jailed after she messaged her ex-boyfriend's dog on Facebook.
Paula Higham, 38, threatened to kill her ex-partner and also issued threats towards his mum by calling her 'rough' and saying 'she will look worse soon'.
Higham appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday (12 January) after she breached a non-molestation order by messaging her ex through his dog's account on Facebook.
Back in August 2021, Higham was handed a non-molestation order by the family courts, preventing her from contacting her ex.
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She was also given a one-year imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, as well as a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
However, Higham still contacted her former partner and sent him a string of 'deeply unpleasant' messages.
Just one week after the order was imposed, she sent 13 separate emails from two different accounts on the same morning in August 2021.
Three days later, Higham then messaged her ex via his dog's account.
One message read: "What's happened to your mum? She's looking very rough. She will be looking worse soon."
While a second read: "Enjoy your weekend. I've posted your name and address over the internet, rapist."
Her ex-boyfriend also recorded eight phone calls from Higham, which had been done using a withheld number.
She accused him of raping her and claimed that he had gone 'viral', saying: "Now you really are f***ed."
On 25 September 2021, Higham called him, saying: "The rapist has got nothing to say has he?"
She then called him a 'f****** freak' and threatened to kill him.
The court heard that Higham had failed to attend two of her unpaid work appointments, with continued alcohol abuse given as a reason by the prosecution.
But while at her appointments, prosecutor Ms Baqri said that Higham presented an 'increased risk towards staff'.
Defense Oliver Saddington said: “She apologises through me for these breaches."
He also added that Higham had received death threats from a person she knew from when she worked as a sex worker, as well as having her phone number leaked.
Mr Saddington continued: "Truth be told, she is still feeling scared and suffers with her mental health today.
"She has completed 37 hours and she wants to do more, and I beseech your honour to give her a second chance."
During the sentencing, Recorder Eric Lamb said: “You have been presenting in a way in which you were verbally aggressive towards your offender manager, and there have been occasions in which you were sporadic in your engagement with unpaid work.
"I have concluded that activation of the sentence would not be unjust."
He immediately activated the suspended 12 months sentence, which was reduced to eight months due to the hours of the community order that Higham had already done.
Callum Jones