A sword-carrying menace vowed to "chop up" a woman during a "petrifying" three-month campaign of harassment.

Victim Louise Bowman was said to have been left "terrified" by Barry Simm's persistent criminal conduct earlier this year.

Simm was due to stand trial at Carlisle Crown Court after denying any crimes against Miss Bowman.

But he admitted putting her in fear of violence by harassment, between March and June; and possession of an offensive weapon in public at Workington's Cross Street.

Prosecutor Jon Close said "matters came to a head" in that residential area at about midday on June 2.

Previously, Miss Bowman had owed Simm in the region of £200 - a debt which was paid off by her mother. Miss Bowman thought that was the end of the matter.

"The defendant disagreed and said that the debt was still live," said Mr Close.

"The defendant began to make demands for the money which escalated, and included threats of violence."

In one text to a third party he said of Miss Bowman: "I will stamp all over her head."

He saw her at a taxi rank, made a kill threat and "spat at her", said Mr Close.

"Such was the repetitive nature of the harassment she became terrified," he added.

While she was at a friend's address on June 2, Simm stood across the street, the court heard, "shouting threats that he was going to chop her up".

"At the time he was uttering these threats he was in possession of a blade of some size," the prosecutor added.

This, said Mr Close, was a "Samurai sword" which police seized after Simm was detained.

"It is petrifying for me to have to contemplate this on a daily basis," Miss Bowman later said of the harassment. "The threats have stopped me from being able to get on with my life."

Simm had 41 offences on his record and a history of drug problems.

"He knows that he needs to use any future time constructively to try, once and for all, to put these matters behind him," said Nicholas Cockrell, defending.

"He will soon reach the age of 40 and certainly doesn't want to be back before the courts if he can avoid it."

Judge Tony Lancaster jailed Simm, of Gosford Street, Liverpool, for 16 months and banned him from contacting Miss Bowman for seven years.