A FANTASIST who invented stories about being kidnapped and held hostage by a gang from Manchester to extort money from a terrified woman has been jailed for three years.

David Bunting left his victim ‘paralysed with fear’ with his tales of killing three gang members and being ‘left on the brink of death’ after they had tracked him down, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Bunting, 59, of Allerton Road, Bradford, pleaded guilty to harassment causing fear of violence.

Prosecutor Rebecca Young said he was in a brief relationship with the woman several years ago while he was still living with a partner.

He was absent for long periods of time and when she ended it, she began to receive threatening and abusive messages. She confided in Bunting and he said he would sort things out.

Then he told her that he had killed three members of a gang from Manchester and others had tracked him down wanting retribution.

Bunting then purported to be one of his own family members messaging the woman to say he had been beaten up and was ‘on the brink of death’ in a hospital in Devon.

A further message demanded £8,000 to stop one of her relatives being exposed as a criminal.

She blocked the number but Bunting changed SIM cards to pretend to be other people sending the messages.

Miss Young said the victim was terrified that she was going to be killed if she didn’t provide the money.

Bunting now accepted that he sent the messages, the court was told.

When he was arrested, he denied all knowledge of them, saying he had been ‘set up.’ Investigations revealed that the furthest his van had travelled in that period was Manchester.

Victim impact statements from the woman spoke of her being too terrified to even hang out the washing.

“Every message I get makes me feel physically sick and I can’t breathe,’ she said.

She couldn’t sleep and feared every noise in the street.

Bunting’s barrister, Harriet Lavin, said he was 59 with no previous convictions.

He had acted out of jealousy and thought he was having a nervous breakdown at the time.

It wasn’t sophisticated offending and it was four years ago.

Bunting was in employment and financially supporting his ill partner.

Judge Andrew Hatton said Bunting had been involved in ‘a romantic entanglement’ with his victim several years ago while still in another relationship.

Then she had received threatening and abusive messages from different numbers. They were bizarre and disturbing and all done to extort money.

“It was fantasy but accepted by her and she terrified,” Judge Hatton said. She lived life paralysed with fear.

He made a restraining order without limit of time to protect the victim and her family in the future.