14 DAY TRIAL // Just a few days ago, a man in France was sentenced to spending 10 months behind bars and paying a $1,300 (€1,003) fine after being found guilty of calling and texting his ex-girlfriend way too often.
Granted, of the 10 months in prison that this man was sentenced to, 6 were suspended shortly after the ruling. Still, it's not all that often that people get handcuffed for using their phone too much, so the news is well worthy of attention.
An average 73 calls and texts per day
According to Huffington Post, the man and the ex-girlfriend who reported him to authorities broke up sometime in 2011, after living together for quite a while.
It is understood that, while the two shared the same house, the man helped make their home a bit more comfortable. When they finally split, the man expected the apple of his eye to at least thank him for everything he had done for her.
This did not happen, and so he started calling and texting her as often as he got the chance. Over the course of just 10 months, he dialed her phone number and sent her messages a whopping 21,807 times.
At this point, some math is in order. You know, just to put things into perspective. Now, let's say that each month has an average 30 days. This means 21,807 calls and texts spread over 300 days, which leads us to a daily average of about 72-73.
“At the time, my logic was that until she returned the money, or at least said thank you, I would not stop the calls,” the 33-year-old man offered as an explanation for his behavior. “I tell myself, with hindsight, that it was stupid,” he added.
The judge's verdict
Information shared with the public says that, apart from being sentenced to 10 months in prison and said fine, the man must willingly undergo psychiatric treatment and not contact his ex-girlfriend, be it by phone or email, ever again.
According to Manuella Spee, the plaintiff's lawyer, the man's ex-girlfriend suffered tremendous stress and anxiety during the 10 months that the 33-year-old man kept calling and texting her, and is desperate to be rid of him and move on with her life.
“She tried to block her line, but he phoned her parents instead and at her workplace. She suffered a lot,” the lawyer detailed the woman's experience in a recent interview with the press. Hopefully, he man isn't thinking about calling his ex to apologize for everything that he put her through.