A man who broke into his ex-girlfriend's parents' home and threatened to kill her has been jailed for 20 months for the 'nasty, frightening' incident.

Valeri Dimov, 29, had been in a 'turbulent' three month relationship with a 22-year-old when they had an argument on July 15.

When she left alongside a friend, he sent a series of 'vile and nasty' threats to her, before burgling her home, Norwich Crown Court heard yesterday.

The court heard texts included: 'I won't forgive this one, even if that means I go to prison', 'When I see you next time I will make sure your skull gets opened', 'I'm going to break into your house', and 'I'm going to kill you'.

A later message read: 'I'm at your house, I am in the mood for killing someone'.

Martin Ivory, prosecuting, told the court: 'At around 10.30pm [she] received a message from another friend who lives quite close by to her home that somebody had broken her window.

'She was ultimately taken back to her home address that she shares with her parents. They parked up outside and it was quite clear someone was inside her house. She saw the defendant jump out of the front door and walk towards a car.'

Dimov had stolen £40 from her bedroom in the process, but in a victim impact statement the victim's mother said he had also threatened violence toward the family pets.

'My main concern is for the safety of my daughter,' she said.

'He threatened to hang our five cats unless she came to see him. These are not the actions of a sane man.

'I know [she] is terrified of Val. I no longer feel safe in my home and I feel violated by the actions of one person. We have lived here 18 years but now I want to go and move where Val will never find [her].'

Michael Clare, mitigating for Dimov, said: 'He is not the first to feel, in the cold light of day, extreme shame for something he has done while drunk. The great and the good in this land are frequently in that position.

'It's vengeful, it's mean and it's nasty. The defendant accepts all that and that is why he is thoroughly ashamed.'

Jailing Dimov for 20 months for burglary, Judge Andrew Shaw said the relationship had been against a background of 'violence and controlling behaviour'.

'This was an act of revenge the purpose of which was to frighten and intimidate,' he added.

Dimov, of Lackford Close in Brundall, was given a consecutive four month sentence for sending threatening messages.