A FORMER soldier who blamed his domestic violence convictions on his fear of terrorism and serving in the Army has been jailed.

Alexander Clare ignored court orders and, after he appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court in February, boasted about avoiding jail.

He took a selfie outside the court and posted on social media: “Well I’m out again”with laughing emojis.

However, his joy was short-lived because District Judge John Woollard decided he had avoided jail for beating up or harassing girlfriends for the last time, and put two fingers up to the court once too often. He jailed him for a total of 30 weeks.

Clare, 28, of Hawthorne Rise, Witham, had previously admitted two counts of harassment by breaching the terms of a restraining order.

The previous month he had sent messages to his ex-girlfriend which he was banned from doing.

The messages were sent just days after he was given a suspended sentence for offences, including assault, against the same victim.

Selena Dines, mitigating, in February told the court Clare had suffered a number of traumatic situations.

She said: “Around 2007 to 2012 he was concerned in a tour of Afghanistan.

“In 2015 his friend was found dead. It was not related but that brought distress and post traumatic stress disorder. He is under psychiatric help from the NHS.

“He is always concerned about the threat of terrorism.”

However, when he appeared before the district judge again last week he was jailed.

The convictions relates to failure to comply with a community order, assault and criminal damage.

Most of the offences were committed against his now former girlfriend Kimberley Crane, 29, who later found out Clare already had a criminal record for beating up a previous girlfriend which she found out about when she called 999 following an attack.

After she reported the crimes, she was told she could have used the domestic violence disclosure scheme, known as Clare’s Law which allows information to be passed to someone who may be at risk due to their partner’s previous behaviour.

Speaking after the court case, Ms Crane said: “The abuse started three or four weeks into the relationship when he started being aggressive towards me. “He threw my phone at me so hard it smashed, he bit me because I wouldn’t sleep with him, he would push me against the wall.”

“One time I had got ready for a night out and was doing the dishes. He got a handful of dishwater and rubbed it in my face to wash my make up off and told me I wasn’t going out.”

“I have had people from the safeguarding team come in and talk about putting a safe room in my house and have given me panic alarms.

“I would sleep on the sofa, because if he came into my house my daughter’s room is the nearest one.

“It’s sad to say but if I didn’t have the children I would probably still be with him thinking it’s normal.”