Ormiston’s Lewis Leland Bridges, 28, cops suspended prison sentence for serial stalking

A court has heard multiple court sentences, explicit warnings from a magistrate, even time on remand did nothing to dissuade a bayside man’s relentless month-long stalking of his ex-partner.

A factory worker who stalked his ex-partner in a month-long “cat and mouse game” has been warned he has “the four walls of that prison” to look forward to should he not leave her alone.

Ormiston man Lewis Leland Bridges, 28, faced Cleveland Magistrates Court appearance on Thursday.

Appearing via video after serving 63 days in pre-sentence custody, Bridges pleaded guilty to unlawful stalking contravenes or threatens to contravene an order or injunction (domestic violence).

The court heard Bridges had been court-ordered to have no contact with his former partner and to remain 200 metres from her.

Despite having been remanded previously for breaching the court order and twice being sentenced to probation for it, the man subjected his victim to what Magistrate Debrorah Vasta referred to as a month-long “cat and mouse game”:

On January 3, Bridges was witnessed by the woman’s employer driving on a section of Queen St in Cleveland from where he was court-banned and he later admitted as much to police.

On January 6 he was witnessed driving past a school where the victim taught a class and told police subsequently he knew she would be there.

On January 12, he drove in front of her as she went to collect Hungry Jacks. He admitted to police in an interview that he saw her.

On January 21 he twice drove past and into the car park of a Birkdale craft brewery the victim was known to patronise. He told police he was in the area to get groceries.

On January 29 he times drove five times past Grill’d Victoria Point and parked across from the victim’s vehicle underneath the Victoria Point cinemas. The victim took images and video of his vehicle.

Ormiston’s Lewis Leland Bridges, 28, cops suspended prison sentence for stalking. Picture: Facebook.

On January 30, a witness known to the victim with knowledge of her court order observed Bridges drive on Wellington St in Cleveland. The witness asked a passenger to capture video evidence, pulled up alongside the defendant and honked their horn to let Bridges know he was spotted in the court-banned locale.

On January 29, Bridges texted a friend requesting that they send the aggrieved a message despite being banned from contacting her indirectly.

A police prosecutor said Bridges had been explicitly warned “in detail”, yet continued to offend.

“He is not going to give up” a police prosecutor said.

“He has been in front of this court twice.

“He has spent time in custody before.

“Your Honour spoke to him at length -Your Honour spoke to him about the reasons why you placed him on probation.

“You told him it was over and he had to move on.

“This aggrieved, there is nothing that she will be able to do.

“The court needs to put in place a penalty that will stop him and deter him.

“She is entitled to move freely in this community.

“What he is doing to her is absolutely stalking in every regard.

“There is nowhere she can go where she doesn’t see him.”

Defence solicitor Tanya Dower said her client was suffering significant mental health issues at the time of his offending.

“It is in the context of a very bad relationship breakdown,” Ms Dower said.

“His mental health declined significantly at the time and he is now willing to address that.

“He did co-operate to some extent with police; they were some weeks after the incidents had taken place and he was not completely sure of where he was at those times.

“He did not wish to harm the complainant; he accepts that in stalking her that would have been quite upsetting to her.

“However, there is no verbal or physical threats to her.

“He did not intend to cause any menace.

“He is very remorseful and deeply regrets that he put the complainant, someone who he cared so much for in the past, through this experience.”

Bridges appeared at Cleveland Magistrates Court. (AAP Image/Richard Walker)

Bridges told the court prison counsellors were happy with his progress during counselling sessions.

Ms Vasta said Bridges‘ blatant and ongoing offending was not acceptable.

“It is absolutely contemptuous that a court has told you not to go near her, not to contact her (and you have),” Ms Vasta said.

“A court has ordered that you do these things, so it is contemptuous of a court order.

“When you breach that again and again and again and again and again and again and again, what faith do you think victims have in the courts?

“‘Nothing is going to stop him’ (they say to themselves).

“Okay, we locked you up for two months.

“Maybe that is the only thing that will work.”

An inquiry from the defendant about whether the aggrieved had been fearful of her safety or that of his own was met with short shrift from the bench.

“She is fearful; she has rung the police,” Ms Vasta said.

“She absolutely wants nothing more to do with you.

“I just want to check that you absolutely got that in your head?

“Every time you think about her, you think of the four walls of that prison.

“Because if you don’t get her out of your head, that is going to be where you will spend a lot of your time, okay?”

Having served 63 days in pre-sentence custody, Bridges was sentenced to six months’ prison to be wholly suspended for three years.

He was further fined $300 and sentenced to three years’ probation.

A conviction was recorded.