A GOGINAN man who sent flowers to his ex-partner found himself arrested and banned from Wales, a judge heard.

Gavin Oliver, aged 45, was accused of harassment because Joanne Daylak took the gift as a message that he knew where she had moved to after their relationship had broken down.

And following his arrest he was granted bail only if he went to live with his sister in Colchester 250 miles from his home.

Oliver, of Ivy Cottage, admitted harassment and assault by slapping Miss Daylak twice and filming himself doing it on his mobile phone.

John Hipkin, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that, although sending a woman flowers would not usually constitute harassment, it was one of several complaints, which included Oliver accessing and viewing her emails and cancelling a joint mobile telephone contract.

Oliver had also telephoned her nine times, which showed that he had managed to find out her new telephone number, the court was told.

The assault, said Mr Hipkin, happened when they had both been drinking and Miss Daylak had been “certainly drunk”.

Oliver’s barrister, Janet Gedrych, said Miss Daylak had left their home “and moved straight into the home of another man”.

Oliver had been left to sever the ties between them, which included cancelling what was a joint mobile telephone contract.

She said that, as a result of his arrest, he had spent three days in custody and 230 days under a curfew a long way from home while awaiting the outcome of the legal proceedings.

Judge Philip Harris-Jenkins said, although the harassment had not been of the worst kind, Oliver had a 1999 conviction for harassment, as well as several for assault. Oliver was made the subject of a 12-month community order. Judge Harris-Jenkins also issued a restraining order preventing Oliver from contacting Miss Daylak.