The Ballarat Magistrates' Court was told Jesse Hayden Dardo, who has been on remand for six months, had broken his bail conditions the same day he was released in November 2018.

Dardo, 27, had breached a family violence intervention order when he visited his partner in a Ballarat hospital on October 14.

He sent 12 text messages to the complainant, some of which were of a threatening behaviour.

On October 19, the complainant woke at 2.15am to find the accused standing at the end of her bed.

Dardo, who had used her house key to enter her house without her consent, was controlling and attempting to rekindle his relationship with her.

Dardo again bombarded his partner with text messages, saying he was going to attend her address.

She told police she was in fear of Dardo, and he was arrested, spending 11 days on remand.

After being bailed on strict conditions, he then visited the affected family member he was told to avoid at her home in Ballarat on November 2, the same day.

He continued visiting her daily, including at her work, and made dozens of attempts at contact through text messages and phone calls.

On November 5, the victim arrived home from work to find Dardo leaning on her fence talking to her neighbour.

He told her that he had told the neighbour about their past and that he had previously been jailed for family violence matters - he had served six months in 2017.

Later that night, at the victim's home, Dardo had put his hands on her neck in a threatening way, causing her to stay in her childrens' room until they had gone to sleep.

She later found her phone had her Google activity history as a screensaver, which she confronted Dardo about.

He grew angry, destroying her possessions, so she asked him to leave - after locking him out, he entered her shed and destroyed more possessions with a sledgehammer.

He also took her car keys, and fearing he would steal her car, the victim put her hand inside the vehicle to prevent him reversing out of the driveway - he responded by assaulting her.

She refused to phone the police out of fear of his reaction, phoning his mother instead, who picked him up.

In the following days, Dardo sent more than 1000 text messages, hundreds per day, until he sent her two photos of handguns.

A police warrant was executed on Dardo's house, and an imitation firearm matching one of the photos was found.

Police also attended the victim's house, finding Dardo trying to flee over the back fence.

He was remanded in custody and admitted to sending the messages.

While on remand, he sent three letters to the victim, one of which apologised for his actions.

A victim impact statement read out in court detailed the "stress and guilt" felt since his arrest.

"I'm questioning what I could have done to help him," the statement said.

"Please get Jesse the help he needs, I don't want this to happen to me or anyone else."

His defence lawyer, Andrew Madden, said there were severe psychological and psychiatric issues, and Dardo had been on a "steep descent into criminal behaviour" since 2016.

"He's now of firm understanding that the relationship is absolutely over, and he needs to stay away from the victim," he said.

"He's effectively been on remand for six months but he's used that time positively, he's completed courses in relationships."

Magistrate Letizia Torres sentenced Dardo to eight months, with six months already served, and a supervised community corrections order for 12 months, with drug, alcohol, and mental health conditions, as well as a $500 fine for using a carriage service to menace.

"When I heard this offending I was just appalled, it's so serious, over 1000 texts and calls, physical abuse, verbal abuse, all these allegations - you've heard what an incredible effect you've had on this woman," she said.

"When you get out, the challenge is to live in the community and learn strategies so you don't go back to where you were."

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