A ROW over maintenance payments escalated into a 48-hour nightmare for an Oswaldtwistle mum.

Hyndburn magistrates heard that Paul Douglas confronted Anne Cooper, reducing her and their two children to tears.

On one occasion she locked the doors of her car to prevent him getting in and the children were screaming at her to drive off.

On another he followed her new boyfriend as he drove home from work at the same time as Miss Cooper was at Accrington police station making a complaint about his behaviour.

Douglas, 38, of New Lane, Oswaldtwistle, was convicted after a trial of harassing Miss Cooper. He was made subject to community supervision for six months and a restraining order for the same period and ordered to pay £300 compensation.

Philippa White, prosecuting, said the series of events started with a conversation during which Douglas expressed the view that he was paying too much maintenance.

"Miss Cooper said she thought it was the correct payment and he simply lost it," said Mrs White. "He said she was screwing up his life and he wasn't going to let her do it."

Miss Cooper tried to calm him but he kept calling her during the day.

That night, when he had the children, he turned up at Hyndburn Sports Centre where she had gone swimming with a friend.

He came in with the children and started shouting that his life wasn't worth living and insulted her.