A MAN who chased a former girlfriend into her home with a Taser while her young children were inside has been jailed.

Kyle Eglington, of Beaufort Road in Southbourne, visited the woman's house with friend Kyrin Lane after drinking heavily on March 20 this year.

But the late-night visit quickly descended into a "heated" row and she noticed Eglington had a Taser in his hand.

Adam Norris, prosecuting at Bournemouth Crown Court, said she'd been in bed at her home in Barrack Road, Christchurch, when she heard a banging at the front door.

"She heard her name being called. This went on for some 10 minutes," Mr Norris said.

"She kept quiet, but then heard noises downstairs."

When the woman went out onto the landing, she saw someone inside her home, the barrister said.

"She said, 'What are you doing? Get out.' [The man inside the house] was not the defendant," Mr Norris said.

"Mr Eglington was outside the front door."

Both Eglington and Mr Lane had sent the woman a Facebook message earlier that evening asking if they could visit, but the victim hadn't seen it, the court was told.

"It is right to say things became pretty heated," Mr Norris said.

"During this, the woman could see in the defendant's hand an object which was arcing blue light and crackling.

"It was the Taser."

Eglington then "ran towards" the woman, who was standing in the doorway of her home.

"She retreated into her house and closed the door so she wasn't in harm's way," Mr Norris said.

However, the defendant then applied the Taser to the conductive surface of the door handle, the barrister added.

Eglington, 26, admitted possessing a firearm when prohibited and possessing a prohibited weapon at an earlier hearing.

Mitigating was Roderick Blain who told the court that Eglington "didn't view [the Taser] as a serious weapon".

He said: "He viewed it as a gimmick. Of course he is totally wrong. He wouldn't have done what he did had his judgement not been so heavily clouded through intoxication."

The court was told Eglington had led a "considerable life of crime", with 21 convictions for 75 offences starting when he was just 12.

Prosecutors also initially charged both the defendant and Mr Lane, 26, of Fairfield in Wimborne, with burglary and criminal damage, although proceedings relating to these charges were "stopped at half-time", Mr Norris said.

Sentencing Eglington to 14 months in prison, Judge Jonathan Fuller QC said: "There could be no lawful excuse for its possession.

"I've no doubt that you had it with you at the scene and I'm concerned you were therefore prepared to use it."