A MAN made harassing phone calls to the mother of his children after she took them on holiday without telling him, a court heard.

Jack Sharp also damaged the gas service box, worth £645, at his ex-partner's home in Evesham and harassed her mother to try to find where she had gone.

Leslie Ashton, prosecuting at Worcester Magistrates Court, said on April 22 Sharp, of Bewdley Lane, Evesham, sent Kerrie Jinks a text message to ask whether she and his one and two-year-old children were at home.

"She said she was not and did not want to speak to him," Ms Ashton said.

Ms Jinks had taken the their children on holiday without asking permission from Sharp, whom she had recently split from.

Sharp then went to the house and called her mother, leaving a voicemail saying he was in the house and the downstairs was engulfed in flames and that he had called the fire service.

A second voicemail was also left stating the fire was actually outside, but both messages were false.

Two days later, the 26-year-old contacted the police saying he could smell gas coming from Ms Jinks' property.

Ms Ashton said: "Gas services were dispatched and when they arrived they discovered that the gas meter was not secured and the main pipe had come away from the property."

Sharp admitted causing the damage when he had been at the house previously.

On May 5, another incident occurred where Sharp sent a threatening text message to Ben Johnson, a man who he had completed work experience with and who knew Ms Jinks.

The message said the next time Sharp saw Mr Johnson he would "rip his head off" and warned him not to tell Ms Jinks, Ms Ashton said.

Mr Johnson called Ms Jinks and Sharp answered the phone threatening him again.

Defending, Julianne Powell said Sharp was going through a particular difficult time and had been drinking and taking illegal substances.

"His partner took his children, who are aged one and two, on holiday without telling him and he didn't know where they were," she said.

Because of the amount he was drinking, Ms Powell said Sharp did not recall sending the messages or leaving the voicemails but accepted that he had and it was his voice on the messages.

"He had no intention of carrying out any of the threats and did not mean to cause harassment," Ms Powell added.

Sharp pleaded guilty to criminal damage, harassment without violence and sending a communication conveying a threatening message.

Chairman of the bench, Judy Hulland, adjourned the case until Friday, August 1 for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.