Katie Price avoids jail for restraint order breach

Price had been warned she faced jail, but was handed a community order

Reality TV star and former glamour model Katie Price has avoided jail after admitting breaching a restraining order against her ex-husband's fiancée.

Price sent abusive messages to Kieran Hayler about his fiancée, Michelle Penticost, in January, a court heard.

She had been warned that she faced jail after pleading guilty, but the 44-year-old was handed a community order.

Price had been banned from contacting Ms Penticost directly or indirectly under the terms of the order.

She was given an 18-month community order to carry out 170 hours of unpaid work, with an additional 20 hours for breach of a suspended sentence for driving matters.

Price was also ordered to pay £1,500 in costs.

'Inflammatory words'

Judge Stephen Mooney told her: "In my judgement, this offence was committed out of anger.

"The words you used were highly offensive and inflammatory."

He said the appropriate sentence was a medium-level community order.

Price previously denied the charges and asked for a crown court trial during a hearing at Crawley Magistrates' Court in April.

But appearing at Lewes Crown Court last month, she admitted breaching the five-year order, imposed in 2019.

Price arrived at Lewes Crown Court for sentencing with fiancé Carl Woods

It was heard her expletive-laden message to Mr Hayler may have been triggered by an Instagram post by Ms Penticost, which she denies was aimed at Price.

Price's message read: "Tell your... girlfriend not to start on me.

"She [Ms Penticost] has a restraining order so shouldn't try antagonise me as she is in breach and I'm sure she doesn't want people knowing that she was having an affair with you behind my back."

The court heard the offence was committed due to Price's use of the words "tell your", which was an indirect attempt to communicate with Ms Penticost.

Price admitted messaging former husband Kieran Hayler with abuse about his fiancée Michelle Penticost

In a victim impact statement, Penticost said Price's actions had a "devastating" effect on her mental wellbeing.

She said it had been upsetting and left her feeling threatened, intimidated and vulnerable.

"The language used made me feel scared. I felt it was an attack on me," she said. "The consequences are I feel she will attack me."

'Two personalities'

Defending, Nicholas Hamblin said Price had been under a "misunderstanding" the restraining order had worked both ways and there had been an element of provocation.

He said Ms Price had sought help for her emotional problems and had been suffering from a "depressive disorder and anxiety".

Mr Hamblin said: "She has two different personalities, the public one and the vulnerable one."

He said her vulnerable side came from spending "every day in the public eye".

In June 2019, Price was fined £415 after hurling abuse at Penticost and another woman in a school playground in Shipley in September 2018.

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