A sacked banker threatened a former colleague by claiming he would bomb her house and make it look like somewhere in Northern Ireland.

The threat by Alan Mayhew came during a six-month campaign against his former workmates at Lloyds Bank, Chelmsford.

Chelmsford magistrates heard yesterday the harassment campaign lasted between January 21 and June 9 this year.

Mayhew 28, of Hill Road, Chelmsford, admitted intimidating a witness on July 16 and making persistent nuisance calls. At an earlier hearing he also admitted harassment between January 21 and June 9 and threatening behaviour on June 3.

Magistrates remanded him in custody and committed him to Chelmsford Crown Court for sentence.

Claire Cannon, prosecuting, told magistrates on June 3 this year Mayhew was put on probation for six months for an offence of harassment and a restraining order was imposed on him not to go to the Lloyds building in Legg Street.

But just hours before his court appearance he had followed bank employee Jackie Jenner to the railway station and got into the same carriage as her. He followed her to London then got the same train back to court before being sentenced.

Miss Cannon said he had been dismissed by the bank because of his attitude to staff.

On July 16, after receiving silent phone calls at her office, Mrs Jenner saw Mayhew as she turned into her road.

"He appeared to be waiting for her and had knowledge of where she lived. She locked herself in her car and did not pull into her driveway until she was sure he was nowhere about," said Miss Cannon.

At other times he said he was going to bomb her house and make it look like somewhere in Northern Ireland.

Eleanor McCann, mitigating, said the matter had a long and complex history and was "a very sad matter."

Mayhew's resentment was not against Mrs Jenner but the bank as he had lost his job last August and failed in his appeal to be re-instated. She said no-one had been in any danger.

She said the court needed to commission a psychiatric report before sentencing.

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