A JEALOUS thug has been jailed for harassing his ex-partner by making violent threats and assaulting her.

Ryan Layzell, 27, admitted one count of harassment by creating fear of violence relating to a string of vile incidents involving his ex-girlfriend.

Basildon Crown Court heard the pair had been in a relationship for seven months when he assaulted her on New Year’s Eve 2016.

Layzell, of Woodgrange Drive, Southend, was driving the victim’s car in Southend when an argument broke out about another car cutting him up.

He began calling her names and saying that he should kill her before driving off down a lane in Southend where they got out of the car and continued arguing.

Prosecutor Cyrus Shroff said: “All she can remember is that he was saying he should kill her.

“He then hit her three times on the back of her head, causing her a lot of pain.

“He was pulling her down to the floor by her hair. The shouting continued but eventually he let her back in the car.

“They continued driving through Southend. She tried to get back out of the car when she saw police officers but he grabbed her so she couldn’t.”

After the attack, the victim attempted to terminate contact with Layzell but he persisted with sending abusive messages.

In February last year, Layzell then sent the victim a photo of himself brandishing a gun with the message: “Tell Rory I have got a Mossberg. Best £550 I have ever spent.”

PC Rory Phillips is a family friend of the victim and had previously arrested Layzell over a separate incident.

The court heard various other text messages the defendant sent to the victim, including threatening to stamp on her head and harm her mother.

In a letter he drafted to the court, Layzell described his behaviour as “disgraceful”.

At the time of the attack, he was already serving the rest of his sentence for a robbery back in 2013, for which he was out on licence.

Having been arrested for this offence, he must now serve the rest of that five-year sentence which will conclude on September 21.

Sentencing him on Friday, Judge Ian Graham said: “You have previous convictions for violence and dishonesty.

“Sending the picture of the firearm crosses the custody threshold and the courts take a very serious view of domestic violence.”

He handed Layzell a 12-month prison sentence to run concurrently with his current custodial term. He was also subject to a three-year restraining order.