A thug turned up at his ex-partner’s house with flowers and a card to offer condolences over family members death - before later pulling a baseball bat on her new boyfriend.

Jamie Taylor arrived at Zoe Goodbier’s house on Barnes Street in Clayton-le-Moors and stayed outside despite being turned away, Blackburn Magistrates Court heard.

However when her new boyfriend Ashley Richardson went outside in his boxer shorts to again tell him to leave Taylor went to his car and pulled out a black baseball bat.

Taylor, 26, pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

He was jailed for six months and given a four-year restraining order.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said the incident happened on August 15 and Taylor had previously been convicted for assault and harassment offences against Miss Goodbier.

They had previously been in a relationship for over three years but had since separated.

Miss Allan said Miss Goodbier was left ‘gobsmacked’ after Taylor arrived at her house as she didn’t know he knew where she lived.

The court heard how Miss Goodbier told him to ‘**** off’ and went upstairs to get her boyfriend.

Miss Allan said Mr Richardson then went outside but came back into the house a few minutes later looking pale shouting ‘ring the police, ring the police, he just pulled a baseball bat out at me’.

Mr Richardson later told the police that after telling Taylor to leave, Taylor went to his car and returned holding a baseball bat by his leg.

He said: “I was shocked and thought to myself he’s going to hit me with the bat. I just stood there.

“I didn’t want him to see that I was scared.”

When officers later went round to Taylor’s house on Norris Street in Darwen he denied having a bat, but it was found propped up against a wall.

A victim impact statement from Miss Goodbier told how Taylor had been ‘nasty, controlling and aggressive’ towards her and she wants him to leave her me along for the rest of her life.

Paul Huxley, defending, said Taylor went round to Miss Goodbier’s house with the flowers and a card after hearing of a family member’s death and ‘wanted to express his condolences’.

He said the scrap yard worker ‘foolishly’ grabbed the bat but didn’t ‘hold it up or threaten’ Mr Richardson with it.