A HOMELESS man 'terrified' his victim by bombarding her with 'disgraceful' threats of rape and assault, continuing the abuse even when he was in prison.

Michael Smith was living at St Paul's Hostel in Tallow Hill, Worcester when he made the threats to the woman with whom he had been in a relationship.

Smith who has previous convictions for assault, shoplifting and possession of drugs was ordered to leave the hostel before he was confronted with the allegations by police.

The 31-year-old appeared over videolink from HMP Hewell on Friday at Worcester Crown Court for sentence after previously admitting stalking, criminal damage and witness intimidation.

Anthony Warner, prosecuting, said the complainant 'out of good will' had taken out a phone contract out for the defendant in her name, having met him in January this year.

However, he changed the number, altered certain other terms without her knowledge but she later changed the number back and changed the password which meant he was unable to make calls.

Mr Warner said the woman believed Smith had called her from his mother's mobile phone telling her he could no longer send text messages to which she replied 'I wonder why'.

On March 3 this year he began calling and messaging her saying he would 'come through the door' and have sex with her and 'kill the boys', meaning her sons.

He said to her: "I'm going to enjoy raping you."

Smith also referred to her and her children as 'inbred freaks' and made reference to choking her. She said he had previously choked her but that was 'never pursued by her and she declined to make a statement'. No further action was taken.

Mr Warner said the defendant made 35 calls and left seven voice messages between 6am and 11pm on March 3 this year.

"She described herself as very frightened indeed by all of that. She described herself as fearing for her life because she believed he was capable of carrying out the threat, particularly having regard to the incident in January (the choking allegation)", said Mr Warner.

The prosecutor said she was afraid to leave her place of work or go home but at this stage did not want to complain.

However, police were contacted on her behalf by her works manager.

On March 4 Smith went to Worcester Police Station after he he had been asked to leave St Paul's Hostel, complaining about the theft of his property which he said had been stolen by another resident.

Mention was made by police of the allegation against him and he told police they were 'made up', claiming she had 'asked him in the course of sexual activity to strangle her at the same time'.

Smith was arrested and taken in a van to Hereford Police Station.

"During the journey he was agitated, hitting his own head against the cage in the back of the van and he was shouting and aggressive during the journey, threatening to bite one of the police officers," said Mr Warner.

Smith was placed in a cell and placed wet cloths over the cell camera which resulted in some damage and scrawled the word 'coz' on the wall.

The defendant remained silent throughout a police interview on March 6. When remanded to HMP Hewell he made phone calls to the victim, telling her: "My mum is coming for you. And I'm coming for your son."

In another phone call he said: "My mum wants a fair fight with you. I want one-on-one with your sons."

She ended the call only to receive another in which he made further threats but 'she was so frightened and distressed she could not recall the terms of the threats made'.

The calls were made using a prison issued British Telecom pin card registered to Smith's cellmate and CCTV showed Smith was using the landline during the relevant times.

In a victim personal statement the woman said she already suffered from anxiety. "She said the calls had made her feel physically ill" said Mr Warner.

She wanted to move house because she said Smith knew where she lived and had used taxis to avoid meeting Smith.

Her GP felt she may have PTSD after she suffered flashbacks and she is nervous going out shopping.

She told officers she had lost weight, did not want to eat and remained at work to avoid going home.

Mark Sheward, defending, said: "He does not in any way seek to minimise the way he behaved or suggest it wasn't completely abhorrent. He accepts he sent some messages in a fit of pique which were disgraceful and he fully accepts that."

He put the pieces of paper over the cell camera because 'he did not want to be spied on', the solicitor said.

During the prison calls he was 'venting his anger once again" said Mr Sheward. The defendant interrupted his own solicitor, claiming he only made one call from prison, not four.

Smith added: "She has exaggerated a lot of events."

Mr Sheward said Smith had had 'a difficult life' and had been addicted to street drugs including heroin and Mamba but was now on a reducing methadone script and resident on a drug free prison wing.

Recorder David Mason QC made a restraining order until further order which prevents him going near anywhere where the victim lives or from having any contact with her, directly or indirectly.

He said: "She has suffered enormously with stress and anxiety as a result of your actions and is terrified to put it mildly - so much so that she has felt the need to apply to move house and feels she can only travel with other people rather than on her own or in a taxi."

The judge jailed him for 37 months.

Jonathan Sutton, chief executive of St Paul's Hostel, said after the hearing: "We really tried very, very to help Michael but he kept being involved in illicit and illegal activities which is something we could not tolerate."