A MAN threatened to kill his ex-partner during a bombardment of 120 abusive early morning text messages — more than a year after they split up.

Scott Millard targeted the Port Glasgow woman in a series of rants between midnight and 3am.

Boozed-up Millard, 32, initially sent her a picture of him with another female which included a caption calling his ex a 'clown', Greenock Sheriff Court heard.

He then launched into a catalogue of vile texts on Facebook Messenger, the content of which are too disgusting to publish.

Prosecutor Lindy Scaife told the court: "At 12.30am the complainer was awoken by her mobile phone.

"Over the course of the next three hours the complainer received 120 messages from the accused, some of which were threatening in nature.

"He said he would 'bury' her and 'maul' her and called her a number of derogatory names, including 'boot'.

"The accused stated that she was 'getting battered'.

"He finally said, 'You will die quicker than anyone ya dirty wee trollop'."

Millard pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm.

He committed the offence in April 2018 — 14 months after the relationship had come to an end.

Millard had been facing a prison sentence after telling social workers that he didn't want supervision, unpaid work or electronic tagging orders imposed on him.

But he changed his mind in the dock after Sheriff Thomas Ward made it clear that only one option was being considered in light of his attitude.

Defence lawyer Aidan Gallagher said: "He tells me that he would comply with any such disposals as the court sees fit as a direct alternative to a custodial sentence."

Mr Gallagher told the court: "He had been drinking and sent messages which are unacceptable to anyone, let alone the mother of his child.

"There has been no repetition of this type of conduct."

Millard has been placed on an electronic tagging order to remain within his home between 7pm and 7am each day for six months.

Sheriff Ward also imposed a non-harassment order, preventing him from approaching or contacting his ex, or attempting to do so, for a period of two years and barring him from the street where she lives in Port Glasgow.