Hotel receptionist, 35, who sent photos of her ex-boyfriend's genitals to his new girlfriend when she discovered they were dating during a child custody battle, avoids jail after pleading guilty to harassment

A hotel receptionist who sent explicit photos of her ex-boyfriend's genitals to his new girlfriend after discovering they were dating during a bitter custody battle has been spared jail.

Samantha Webster, 35, bombarded Catherine Harrison with 200 messages after finding out James McKinnell saw her in legal documents during a hearing for their daughter in family court.

During the online attack, Webster claimed she wanted to 'warn' Miss Harrison about Mr McKinnell's 'behaviour and lies' and even threatened to have his legs 'snap in two'.

The unwanted contact is said to have caused 'serious distress' to Miss Harrison, who moved to another town. In a statement, the victim said: “I have received 200 Facebook messages from Samantha Webster.

'After the first five messages I told her not to contact me anymore, but she completely ignored me and continued messaging me. Then she started calling me. She wouldn't leave me alone and continued.

Webster (pictured) claimed she wanted to 'warn' Miss Harrison about Mr McKinnell's 'behaviour and lies' and even threatened to have his legs 'snap in half'.

“I advised her to stop, but she continued to make threats and said she would send someone to break James' legs.”

When mother-of-two was questioned, Webster, of Poulton-with-Fearnhead, Warrington, Cheshire, said she had not known Mr McKinnell was in a new relationship and wanted to prevent Miss Harrison from going out with him.

She claimed she had only sent five or six messages, but that it was all a screenshot of WhatsApp pages containing multiple messages between her and Mr McKinnell, sent to prove she had been in a relationship with him. She said she did not intentionally send the explicit images included in the exchange.

At Warrington Magistrates' Court, Webster pleaded guilty to harassment and was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, with a requirement that she complete 25 rehabilitation days.

The court heard that the couple, who had a daughter together during a five-year relationship, had split amid allegations that McKinnell was 'controlling'.

The pair made non-abuse orders against each other in the family court over custody of the little girl – but just seven days later Webster posted a message online about Mr McKinnell saying 'someone was prepared to break his legs in half' .

Robert Earl, prosecuting, said Webster's messaging blitz, between August 11 and October 25, was 'clearly intended to cause unrest'. Despite being told to stop after the first five messages, the ruthless Webster continued and sent 195 more.

The prosecutor added that the bombing and threats against Ms Harrison's new partner had a 'huge impact' on the relationship and her personal life, with both having suffered 'severe distress and embarrassment' from the graphic image.

“She's afraid to go out,” Earl told the court. 'She doesn't feel safe in her own home. She talks about moving, which she says is not acceptable.

Webster pleaded guilty to intimidation and was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months

'The messages were offensive and full of threats, including sexual images, and the behavior was clearly intended to maximize distress. The need was very serious.

'Catherine Harrison feels so sad that she has moved to another city. The only connection between the victim and the suspect is that the victim is dating the suspect's ex-partner and that appears to be the reason she is being targeted in this way.”

The court heard that Webster was given a community order in May for a public order offense involving a neighbor. She was given a suspended prison sentence in October for breaching the non-abuse order against Mr McKinnell.

A probation officer said: 'From what I have been led to believe, Miss Webster was controlled by Mr McKinnell in their relationship and continues to feel a degree of control. It is clear that there is some kind of blame game going on, as with any domestic incident that sometimes comes to light after the court hearing.”

Defense attorney Julian Touchener-Ellis said that to limit the defense When his client discovered her ex was in a new relationship with Miss Harrison, she became 'distraught'.

'She didn't know anything about this and she thought she better tell the victim here. She went about it the wrong way, but it wasn't 200 messages,” the lawyer told the court.

Webster's behavior was labeled 'unacceptable' by a deputy district judge

'She forwarded long WhatsApp messages to prove there was a long-term relationship. She didn't think about what it might say. She sent the sexual images to the victim, but that was not her intention. It was to prove that the relationship existed. But there was no excuse for the way it happened.

'The behavior was clearly shocking to the victim but there was no intention to harm her in any way. It appears her intention was to warn her about Mr. McKinnell's behavior and lies. She wasn't in the best of moods.'

Sentencing Webster Deputy District Judge Arlegh Davies told her: “Your behavior was unacceptable, even if you were still in a relationship, and not all parties agree with that. You can't behave like that.'

As well as receiving a suspended prison sentence, Webster was also given a restraining order banning her from contacting Ms Harrison and Mr McKinnell for two years, and was ordered to pay £274 in costs and a victim surcharge.