A man who targeted a random woman, sending her lewd messages, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Michael Jeffrey Lyons will spend at least the next five months behind bars after he was convicted of using a carriage service to menace or harass.
Penrith Local Court heard Lyons used voice, text and Facebook messages to contact the woman, who was unknown to him, even going as far as to seek her out at her business address.
The court was told while there were “no threats of violence”, there were “clearly verbalisations of a sexual nature”.
His lawyer said Lyons suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, was unmedicated at the time and taking ice and heroin, but that his “state of mind was much clearer” since he has been in custody and back on his medication.
He asked Magistrate Stephen Corry not to impose a “crushing sentence” on the father-of-two, who was arrested on September 22 when he failed to turn up to court to face the charges the week before.
Magistrate Corry told Lyons, who has previously served terms of imprisonment, there would have been “significant emotional harm… wrought on the victim” despite the absence of any threats of harm.
He was sentenced to a six months non-parole period and afterwards a recognisance release order, where he will be subject to supervision.
Alena Higgins is the Weekender’s Senior News Reporter, primarily covering courts and Council issues.
