A phone text pest who bombarded a vulnerable woman with explicit and threatening messages was yesterday ordered to stay away from her.Kevin Cushion who pleaded guilty to harassment was given a conditional discharge and an open-ended restraining order by Cromer magistrates.

A phone text pest who bombarded a vulnerable woman with explicit and threatening messages was yesterday ordered to stay away from her.

Kevin Cushion who pleaded guilty to harassment was given a conditional discharge and an open-ended restraining order by Cromer magistrates.

The court heard how, in September, the 57-year-old sent a series of distressing text messages to a woman who has learning difficulties, is on the autistic spectrum and has a carer.

On one occasion Cushion, of Orchard Estate, Tunstead, sent 22 texts in just nine minutes each time calling her a 'slapper'.

Fergus Harald, prosecuting, said: 'This course of conduct - a number of text messages being sent to her following a short relationship - caused her a great deal of stress, intimidation and fear.'

In the messages, some of which were read to the court, Cushion threatened to 'kill' her, 'come round later tonight and get my hands round your… throat and drown your… cat' and told her: 'now you see why people are scared of me'.

He met the victim after a friend signed her up to a dating agency in July without her consent, the court was told. The pair began exchanging text messages, met on four occasions and had a short-lived sexual relationship.

But in September, she made a complaint to police after the first spate of messages and Cushion was given a harassment warning.

He was later arrested after continuing to send her texts as well as a postcard accusing the victim, who was said to be a number of years younger than the defendant, of giving him a sexually transmitted disease.

Mr Harald told the court the woman had been examined by a doctor and did not have any infections.

Alastair Taunton, who represented Cushion, told magistrates his client had originally only wanted to tell the victim about his STI and suggest she got checked by a doctor. He said: 'When she didn't reply he got upset.'

He added she had, at the beginning of their relationship, been happy to exchange texts with the defendant - some of which were of a sexual nature. Mr Taunton said: 'That was forming an impression in his mind.'

Cushion originally entered a not-guilty plea but changed it at the beginning of his trial late last year.

Chairman of the bench Andrea Papworth gave him a three-year conditional discharge and ordered him to pay �200 in costs.

He was also giving an open-ended restraining order which stops him contacting the woman, her family and another man referred to in some of the messages.