A Royston man stalked his ex-partner by turning up unannounced at their child’s nursery, following her to her home and making a threatening phone call.

Magistrates heard that 35-year-old Terry Taylor had moved away from the town following the breakdown of his relationship with wife Tracey.

He had taken unpaid leave from his job as a Tesco manager to live in Bristol and the pair were talking over arrangements for him to see their children, and whether or not he would move back to Royston.

But as Tracey was waiting in her car to pick up their son from nursery on Monday, March 23, Taylor turned up unannounced, tapped on her window and said: “Just to let you know, I know now” before getting into his car and driving off.

Tracey, who described her husband as ‘aggressive and controlling’ told the court she had no idea what he meant and was left feeling worried.

She then drove to her parents’ house and as she was going in she saw him driving past.

She went upstairs to her bedroom, and from there she looked out onto the street and saw him sitting in his car at the end of the road for about 10 minutes before driving away.

At about 2.15pm, she received a call from her husband which she recorded. On the tape, played in court on Tuesday, he can be heard to say: “Do your mum and dad know what you are doing on a Monday?...You will go missing and he will go missing. I saw it with my own eyes.”

When Tracey denied having a boyfriend, he swore and told her to stop lying.

The call left Tracey feeling worried and ‘frightened of his actions’ so she reported him to the police.

Taylor, 46, of Princes Mews, said he had been in Royston to have a prearranged meeting with Tracey to buy party items for their child’s birthday and to look at houses.

He said he had seen her driving in her car earlier that day, at the Twigden Estate where he was considering moving to, and claimed he saw her laughing with a man in a car behind her. Prosecutor Margaret Morrisey said: “From that you conclude she’s having a relationship with another man? What business has that got to do with you?”

Taylor was found guilty of stalking, and has been granted conditional bail while a pre-sentence report is prepared.