A TERRITORIAL Army soldier with “demons in his head” has admitted harassing a former girlfriend by constantly sending her texts, e-mails and Facebook messages.

Carl Hydes blamed his behaviour on post traumatic stress disorder and depression which he suffered after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The gunner featured in your Worcester News when he was given a hero’s welcome by members of the Royal British Legion and Mayor Andy Roberts on his return from Iraq.

Hydes, aged 37, admitted harassing Natalie Plant, who he met at Worcester’s TA base in Silver Street.

Worcester Magistrates Court heard how Hydes sent her unwelcome messages between Sunday, March 1, and Friday, August 21, after she dumped him. He sent her new boyfriend messages with graphic sexual references to their previous relationship, turned up at her home and spread rumours among TA friends.

Matt Dodson, prosecuting, said Hydes was in a short-term relationship with Miss Plant, aged 18, after meeting her at the TA where he was her commanding officer. He began to harass her after she ended the relationship and became jealous and physically aggressive.

He said: “He said he had post traumatic stress disorder from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan and said he had ‘demons in his head’.”

Mr Dodson said the stress caused Miss Plant to drop out of college and split up with her new boyfriend, but eventually Hydes stopped texting.

She reported him to the police when he started to send messages again.

Hydes, defending himself, said the couple were moving to Devonshire and had secured jobs and a home when Miss Plant dumped him.

He said: “That left me in shock. Unbeknown to me I was suffering PTSD and being with her gave me some normality.

"She was everything to me at the time. She made sense of things I needed to make sense of. I was trying to find out why she’d done this.”

Hydes, of Clarksons Lane, Hereford, said he received counselling for the PTSD and resumed contact with Miss Plant after his counsellor told him he needed closure.

He asked magistrates not to impose a restraining order so he could return to Worcester’s TA where Miss Plant is still a member, and serve again in Afghanistan. He said he was genuinely sorry for his actions but denied being aggressive towards her.

He will be sentenced on Tuesday, December 15.