Sutton Hill man sentenced for breaking court order on social media

A Telford man has appeared in court after repeatedly breaching a non-molestation order by contacting a woman online.

Lee McLaughlin, 48, of Summerhill, Sutton Hill, appeared before Telford Magistrates Court on 20 February 2026. He faced multiple charges of breaching a court order made in August 2025.

The court heard that McLaughlin used various social media platforms to contact the victim. The breaches included:

• Multiple Facebook friend requests sent in October 2025.
• A Snapchat friend request sent in January 2026.
• Following the victim on the clothes-selling app Vinted on 14 January 2026.

McLaughlin pleaded guilty to the offences. Magistrates stated that the crimes were serious enough to justify a custodial sentence.

However, they noted a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation” as the defendant is working with agencies to address domestic abuse.

He was handed an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. McLaughlin was also ordered to pay £150 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.