An Edmonton stalker who threatened his ex-girlfriend, lit her mattress on fire and urinated on it, wrote a nasty name on her front door and killed her fish is off to prison.

Walter Henry Jones, 34, was yesterday handed a 30-month sentence after earlier pleading guilty to criminal harassment, break and enter and multiple breaches of court orders prohibiting him from contacting the victim.

"I have come to the inescapable conclusion that these offences are very grave," said provincial court Judge Shelagh Creagh, calling it a "virulent campaign of harassment" that "caused lasting effects to the victims."

According to an agreed statement of facts, Jones and the woman were in a common-law relationship for about nine months that ended at the end of April 2007 due to her concerns over Jones's substance abuse problems.

MOVED WITH SON

She moved with her 12-year-old son to a northside apartment on May 1, 2007, but permitted Jones to stay there for a few days as long as he got some counselling.

Court heard Jones left the home on May 4, 2007, but returned days later to remove some of his belongings.

Then, between 9 p.m. on May 9, 2007, and 6 a.m. the next day, Jones repeatedly banged on the woman's front door, windows and roof and yelled at her to let him in. He also made 102 calls and left 22 messages demanding entry.

When the woman came home at 4 p.m. on May 10, 2007, she found "call me now slut" written on the front door. Then Jones showed up and began pounding on the door.

Police arrived and found the woman and her son "emotionally upset" and fearful.

Jones was arrested a short time afterwards.

He was released hours later on his own recognizance with conditions that he have no contact with the woman or her son.

Two days later, a rock was thrown through a window at the woman's home and, the day after that, Jones left her numerous vulgar messages on her answering machine.

THREATENED HER

Some of Jones's friends also called the woman and threatened her, leaving messages including ones saying "five girls are coming to kick your ass," "do what Wally says or else you'll regret it," and "you're gonna get it."

On May 17, 2007, the woman's home was broken into through a smashed window and her mattress was lit on fire and urinated on. Her belongings were strewn about the suite.

On May 19, 2007, the woman's suite was broken into again and her plants were destroyed and scattered about the apartment. The fish in a 10-gallon fish tank were found dead.

The stalking continued through to Jones's May 29, 2007, arrest at his grandparents' home following a police standoff.

Court heard he left phone messages saying he was planning to "go down in a blaze of glory" and "he wanted the hair off the top of her head."

TONY.BLAIS@SUNMEDIA.CA