30 months probation for Kamloops man who harassed, 'berated' ex-wife

Probation for harassing ex

Photo: KTW file

Kamloops provincial court

A Kamloops man who showed up at his ex-wife’s house to "berate" her after sending her hundreds of uninterrupted text messages has been ordered to spend more than two years on probation.

The 51-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday in Kamloops provincial court to one count of criminal harassment. Castanet Kamloops is not naming the man.

On Oct. 18, he became upset while visiting his ex at her house to discuss family matters. When she got in her car to try to leave, [he] got in the passenger seat and “continued to berate her,” Crown prosecutor Oliver Potestio said in court.

The woman retreated into her house and hid until he left. She then called police and told them what happened.

Potestio said Mounties arrived at the scene and the woman showed them her phone, including a series of text messages she had received from him.

“It appeared to number in the hundreds, all uninterrupted and unreplied to,” he said.

The man also posted derogatory comments about her on social media.

Kamloops provincial court Judge Stella Frame went along with a joint submission for a conditional discharge and 30 months of probation. That means the man's criminal record will remain unblemished if he stays out of trouble for the next 2.5 years.

While on probation, he will be required to abide by the terms of a no-contact order and refrain from making social media posts about his ex. He was also ordered to attend counselling and prohibited from possessing firearms.

“It is immensely confusing to me why anybody would think this sort of conduct — constantly harassing a person, being angry, making accusations, posting social media posts — would in any way cure any problem or advance any purpose,” Frame said.

"It defies me. But here we are.”