A MAN who refused to accept that a ten year relationship was over threatened to burn down his former partner’s home with her, her two children and her dog inside.

Adam Littlejohns, 37, who is currently living in his car near Truro, appeared at Truro Crown Court this morning for sentencing having pleaded guilty to stalking.

Piers Norsworthy, prosecuting, said the victim and defendant had been in a relationship for more than 10 years, which ended in July 2022 because she'd had enough of his drinking and she needed to consider her children.

She said at first they got along fine but his behaviour would escalate when he was drinking and he became belligerent and controlling and would complain when she had a night out with friends.

She said following the break up the relationship was civil and he would come round to the house for a cup of tea.

But he wouldn’t accept the relationship was over and would say things like ‘I love you’ and ‘you are my world’ even though she told him they were never getting back together.

In March 2023 she received a WhatsApp message at 10.30pm from Littlejohns saying he was prepared to put petrol through the letterbox of the front door.

On March 25 he drove past her house several times in his van and when he saw her looking through the window, he beeped and waved at her.

On another occasion he knocked at a kitchen window while she was sitting at a table with a male friend.

“She went to the front door to ask him what he was playing at and ‘F**k off’ and he kicked her ‘karate style’ in the stomach with his right foot and walked back to his van.”

In the early hours of March 26, he said, he was constantly calling and texting. In total she received 30 calls, and when she answered one he told her he was going to burn the house down with her, her children and dog in it.

“She believed him and it made her scared,” said Mr Norsworthy.

On April 7, Littlejohns went to the shop the victim worked at and bought shaving foam.

When she returned to her car parked nearby she found flowers on it and 'I love you xx' spelled out in shaving foam.

Littlejohns took a photograph and put it on his Facebook page saying: “Message to men, never show your love to a woman as they don’t give two f**ks.”

For the next two days he sent her messages saying he was sorry and he loved her.

On April 9 she found her car covered in black and white spray paint which she managed to get off. CCTV caught Littlejohns doing it in the early hours of the morning.

In a victim impact statement she said the stress of it all was making her feel ill as she didn’t know what he was going to do next and she just wanted to be left alone so she could get on with her life.

Littlejohns was arrested on April 12.

Speaking in his defence, Neil Murray said his client was a broken man living in his car and with a terminally ill mother.

“Living in his car is preventing him going to his mother’s house,” he said.

Sentencing Littlejohns, Judge Robert Linford said: "The relationship ended, as relationships do, that's the way of life. People need to move on and you didn't move on."

Adding: “I hope you get some accommodation something that isn’t in your car.”

He sentenced him to 12-weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months. A five year restraining order was also put in place.