AN ABERYSTWYTH student who sent a woman over 230 Facebook messages in one day and drove over 150 miles to turn up at her work has avoided jail and been handed a conditional discharge by magistrates after pleading guilty to harassment.

Tears of relief flowed from the eyes of the parents of Thomas George Gater of 23 Alexandra Road in court after the sentence was read out.

Guidelines for the offence suggested a much tougher sentence, with jail likely.

The court heard that Gater had severe mental issues, but was currently taking medication and “doing very well”.

Gater, 22, met Nancy Lagdon in Aberystwyth “a couple of times” during June 2015.

The court heard there was “no suggestion of a relationship” but soon Gater began to message frequently - messages which Miss Lagdon was “freaked out by”.

In one message Gater wrote that he hears voices in his head and that there were cameras in his room and that the government was "spying on him”.

Believing the pair were in love, Gater sent Lagdon birthday cards, letters, poems and a memory stick full of songs he had written about her.

After Miss Lagdon moved to Oxford in October last year, Gater truned up at her offices, leading Miss Lagdon to have a “panic attack”.

She was “so frightened” that she left her job in Oxford and moved back to mid Wales to live with her parents.”

Despite blocking Gater on Facebook, Miss Lagdon started to receive strange messages from a different account. When she asked who was sending the messages, the reply came back ‘Tom.’

Gater proceeded to send 230 messages in just one day in April, including links to music videos and messages professing his love.

One message, read out in court, said: “I’m sure I’ve been speaking to you telepathically and I know you’ve been watching me on these camera things.”

Gater said he no longer wanted to be part of the “experiment”. Miss Lagdon urged him to get help before blocking again further contact.

Defending, Janem Jones urged the court to disregard guidelines for the offence and see the offence “in the context of an illness”.

“He is extremely remorseful and has mental health problems that are being dealt with, through the support of his family,” she told the court.

“He is working with a mental health team, he is a lot better, is getting help and realises the extent of what he has done.”

Gater is hoping to resit his exams in December and continue as a student at Aberystwyth University, the court heard.

Magistrates handed Gater a conditional discharge for two years and imposed an indefinite restraining order that he should not contact Miss Lagdon in any way.