A Pembroke man was given a suspended sentence after he admitted stalking his ex-girlfriend and assaulting her after she dumped him.Corey Madeiros, of Euclid Avenue, and Tanecha Gibbons dated three years before the relationship went sour, Magistrates’ Court heard.Prosecutor Carrington Mahoney said Ms Gibbons agreed to go for a drive with Madeiros on July 6 in order to “keep the peace”.He promised to take her home but instead took her to Fort Hamilton miles from her desired destination and proceeded to ask Ms Gibbons about her new relationship.When she wouldn’t answer him, he became violent, pulling her clothing and punching her right arm.Madeiros then took Ms Gibbons to Vesey Street and parked the car so she wasn’t able to open her door to get out.Mr Mahoney said the 40-year-old then pulled a machete from the driver’s side door and said: “You don’t want to talk? You’ll talk now and if you don’t I’ll chop you into little pieces and put you in those bushes and nobody will ever find you.”Ms Gibbons managed to convince Madeiros to put the machete away, and he drove her home.Madeiros has been in custody since his arrest 40 days ago.He admitted stalking Ms Gibbons but denied threatening her with a machete.He confessed to driving past her job and home and calling her at work and on her personal numbers. He also admitted making a false Facebook account, posing as a female in order to speak to her new boyfriend.Said Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner: “Matters of the heart are serious matters, and can sometimes result in very bad situations. The complainant has shown pity on the defendant by expressing her wish that incarceration is not the answer. He has been in custody since July 13 and if there is need for a custodial sentence this can be counted as a sharp shock.”Mr Warner sentenced Madeiros to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, followed by a period of probation.He added: “You must comply with anything deemed appropriate by Court Services and probation officers. You will be assessed for an anger management programme, seek to maintain full-time employment, must not consume any illegal drugs and must comply with all random drug tests.”