AN ANTI-BULLYING campaigner has walked free from court after being convicted of spending months harassing a teenage girl.

Dennis Patton, 50, sent abusive and sexual messages to the 14-year-old and her parents after she tried to block him on Facebook.

On top of the threats sent through various social media he also hand delivered letters and flowers to their home in Reading.

Patton, of Basingstoke, was given a suspended jail sentence today at Reading Magistrate's Court after being convicted of two counts of harassment at an earlier trial.

Starting on September 19 last year he sent anonymous abusive messages which the family then forwarded on to Thames Valley Police.

By October further texts were also allegedly linked to Patton's son with the threats continuing on social media and in phone calls - some made from a phone Patton was caught on CCTV purchasing in November.

In the trailer for the film Teenage Kicks - written by Patton - teenagers are reminded that "victims suffer, families suffer, friends suffer" as a result of bullying.

The educational movie was released in 2013 to raise awareness of the impact abuse can have on schoolchildren.

Investigating officer, PC Kris Couzens, from Reading CID, said: "This was a consistent and sustained harassment of a young victim and her family via social media and mobile phone communication, which has obviously left the victim feeling very vulnerable and distressed.

"The irony of this is that Patton knew exactly the feelings he would engender in the victim as three years ago he wrote and produced a short film about the impact of bullying on young teenagers which was called Teenage Kicks and was featured in the local media.

"I would like to praise the bravery of the victim and her family throughout the justice process and for them I am glad that justice has been served."

The threats came to an end in December of last year.

There is no suggestion of any physical abuse between him and girl.

Patton, of Wentworth Crescent, Beggarwood, Basingstoke, was sentenced to 22 weeks' imprisonment suspended for two years.