A MAN has been jailed after he breached a restraining order by driving along a road he was banned from entering.

Adam Johnson, of Gilchrist Way, Braintree, will serve 18 weeks behind bars after he admitted to the offence during a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates Court last week.

Johnson, 27, breached his restraining order when he drove down Humber Road in Witham on Friday, April 12.

He was spotted in the road by a relative of a man the order was put in place to protect and was arrested by police soon after.

Johnson was then charged with breaching the terms of his order and along with handing him jail time, a judge has ordered him to pay court costs of £720 and a victim surcharge.

His restraining order has also been extended until November 2020.

Det Insp Frazer Low, of Chelmsford’s Domestic Abuse Investigations Team, said: "This case goes to show the importance of restraining orders and how seriously we and our partners take such breaches.

"In this case, Johnson was caught driving in an area that he is banned from.

"The conditions of his restraining order were made clear to him and are in place to help protect the victim and their family.

"Our message is clear. If you breach the conditions of your order, be it through online and phone activity to driving in area you’re banned from, we will arrest you and bring you to court where you face a possible prison sentence."

Lucy Hadley, campaigns and public affairs manager at domestic violence charity Women's Aid, added: "When a perpetrator of domestic abuse breaches his restraining order there must be serious consequences.

"Survivors and their families have a right to feel safe in their community - they shouldn’t have to live in constant fear of running into their perpetrator.

"We’re pleased to see Essex police force taking decisive action to ensure that anyone who breaches a restraining order is arrested and brought before a court of law."

If you are a victim of domestic abuse or know of anyone who is, please report it to us on 101 or online by visiting https://www.essex.police.uk/.

You can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or you can get help from charities and organisations providing support such as Women's Aid.