A MAN who repeatedly shouted an obscenity at a mother as she dropped her child off at nursery has been given a suspended prison term.

Steven Hilland, 32, had been ‘seeing’ the victim for a period of time last year. On July 2, the victim began receiving messages from him after having no contact for months and she agreed to meet him, Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.

Pamela Fee, prosecuting, said Hilland told the victim he would be waiting outside a nursery in Workington. When the victim arrived with her four-year-old daughter, she saw Hilland outside and he began shouting at her.

The victim was ‘shaking’ as she walked her daughter into the nursery and said she was ‘terrified’. She said she could hear him shouting, ‘nonce’ at her.

A member of staff at the nursery said they had gone out and heard a male voice shouting ‘nonce’ repeatedly. She said this had upset the victim. Another member of staff gave a similar account.

The incident was reported to the police and Hilland was arrested on July 17. He was found with cannabis and pregabalin.

During police interview, Hilland stated he had called the victim a nonce ‘because she was one’ and she had been ‘slagging him off’. He admitted the drugs were his and were for his own personal use.

A further incident then took place on August 26 when police received a report of a trespasser in a property in Workington. Hilland was inside the property and was detained. He had pregabalin and cannabis in his possession.

John Cooper, defending, said: “The drugs are all relatively low value and a low amount. As far as a restraining order is concerned, there are no issues.

“The only slight difference is he said he went with her to the nursery. He didn’t wait outside. He got out the car, argued with her, then got back in the car.

“He said they were still together at the time. There was an argument about things he had been saying to her.

“There have been no further issues.”

Hilland, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress, two charges of possessing a class B drug and two charges of possessing a class C drug.

Passing sentence, Heather Jackson-Stuttard, chair of the magistrates’ panel, said the offence was aggravated by the presence of children but noted that the defendant had indicated that he ‘wanted to get himself back onto the straight and narrow’.

Hilland was given a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. He must also complete 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

An order was made for the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs.