A POSSESSIVE pensioner who attached two tracking devices to his former partner's car has been jailed for two years.

Rodney Coffin, 72, was unable to accept his two-year relationship with Mandy Pollyn had come to an end.

Coffin, from Poole, 'inundated' her with emails and messages declaring his love before fitting the clandestine devices to the wheel arches of her vehicle.

Although Ms Pollyn, 55, found the first tracker a few days later, the second went undetected allowing Coffin to accurately pinpoint her whereabouts.

As a result he turned up at various locations she was at over several days.

But he was caught out when the pensioner followed his ex to Poole police station where she went to report him.

He was arrested outside the building for stalking.

During his police interview the former Royal Navy serviceman admitted to fitting the hidden trackers.

He appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court having pleaded guilty to stalking involving alarm and distress.

The court heard that the couple had been in a two year relationship which broke down in 2016 due to Coffin's 'possessive' behaviour.

After the break up he launched a campaign of stalking and even set up a false profile on a dating site to instigate contact with Ms Pollyn.

In 2017 he was handed a restraining order by a court that prevented him contacting Ms Pollyn but it was later revoked when the couple briefly reconciled.

Coffin, who was by that time suffering from cancer, relied on his partner as his carer and once again struggled to adapt after they broke up a few months later.

Jane Roley, prosecuting, said: "The victim was in a relationship with the defendant for two years but left him as he was possessive and controlling.

"He has a previous conviction for stalking the same victim which makes this a higher culpability case.

"There was also a high element of planning to his behaviour."

Ms Roley said that after putting the trackers on Ms Pollyn's car, Coffin received 440 text updates between August 1-9, 2018 informing him of her location.

During that time Ms Pollyn said she saw him on a number of occasions and even went to stay in a hotel as she did not feel safe in her home.

When she woke up in the hotel she saw that Coffin was outside and she drove to the police station.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Pollyn said: "It has been terrible. Everybody believed him and not me.

"I am truth itself - you could not meet anyone more truthful than me.

"I am very strong and very determined that justice will be on my side and he will be served with what he deserves for ruining my life.

"I want him totally away from me forever."

Robert Grey, defending, said his client accepted there had been planning involved in the case but asked that he be spared prison.

He told judge Alastair Malcolm QC that he had been in custody in Winchester prison for two weeks, which he had described as 'hell'.

However, Judge Malcolm denied the request, saying that Coffin had caused Ms Pollyn distress.

In jailing him he said: "It is very difficult for anyone to comprehend the distress you have caused by the manor of your behaviour.

"Anyone who has heard Ms Pollyn speak will be able to see how much distress you have caused her.

"This is not the first time you have been involved in this kind of activity and that is a serious aggravating factor in this case."

Coffin was jailed for two years and handed a restraining order preventing him from having any direct or indirect contact with his former partner.