A SERIAL stalker who fitted two tracking devices to his ex-partner’s car during a “merciless” campaign of harassment has been banned from Berkshire and jailed for three years.

Scott Werney waged a relentless spying operation against his former girlfriend, including following her to the supermarket and even stalking her as she picked up their four-year-old son from primary school.

The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of breaching a restraining order and one summary offence of harassment and was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Monday.

The court heard Werney, who lived with his mother and step-father in Ashbourne Way, Thatcham, was caught by officers on February 20 when an employee at the Newbury care home where his partner works spotted him tampering with her car. When a police expert examined the vehicle, he found one damaged GPS tracking device, which Werney had been trying to remove, and a new one he had just fitted attached to the underside.

Werney was sent to jail for 24 weeks in September for harassing the woman and eight weeks in July 2011 after grabbing her by the hand, and the court heard he has a string of convictions for breaching restraining orders and even setting light to a woman’s house in a revenge attack.

Sentencing, Judge Peter Ross said: “The reports I have read about you make disturbing reading. When taken together with the proven details provided to me by the police and your record of previous convictions, it provides a picture of the greatest concern.

“You waged a campaign of psychological warfare directed at her and the effect on her has been terrible. It must have been truly distressing for her to find out that you were tracking her with a tracking device.

“You decided you didn’t need to be following her everywhere, you could follow her remotely by means of tracking devices. You have a shocking record for breaches of these orders and what was going on in relation to you on February 20 demonstrates the extent to which you were prepared to breach this order and the steps you were prepared to take to make sure your merciless campaign of harassment against her would continue.” Defending, Elisabeth Acker said a psychiatric report commissioned by the probation service showed Werney has Paranoid Personality Disorder and suffers from paranoid delusions. She added: “He’s finally willing to face up to his demons, to whatever is making him behave in this way. He recognises he needs help.” Werney has been banned from Berkshire indefinitely.