A man accused of stalking his former girlfriend was jailed previously for the same offence against her and of trying to poison her and her daughter, Magistrates Court heard yesterday.

Carlos Astwood admitted he was jailed for two years in February, 1998 when he pleaded guilty to stalking the woman, breaking and entering her home with intent to administer poison, intending her and her daughter to take lacquer thinner with intent to endanger their lives, and damaging her property.

Magistrate Will Francis allowed the Crown to mention Astwood's previous convictions because he had made his character and that of his victim a key issue in his trial.

Astwood said yesterday he had pleaded guilty to the previous charges because of "financial issues''.

Astwood, 36, a former Mr. Bermuda bodybuilder, yesterday accused the victim of telling lies about him and trying to portray him as a monster out of spite because of problems she has allegedly had with men in the past.

Astwood, who was released from Westgate Correctional Facility on May 6 1999, denies stalking the complainant, threatening her reputation, and using offensive words in a public place.

When interviewed by Police, Astwood said he wanted nothing to do with the woman because he wanted to get on with his life.

When asked by Police why the victim would make the stalking allegations, he said: "She's trying to hinder me in some form or way, also through the attention she likes to get.'' Astwood admitted that when he saw the victim sitting on a bench near her office in Hamilton in 1999, he told her to "shut her legs''.

She allegedly told him to "f*** off,'' at which point Astwood admitted telling her "I'm not finished with you yet''.

He explained to Mr. Francis that he said this because the woman "was known for telling lies'' about him because she supposedly had bad experiences with men.

When asked by Crown counsel Charmaine Smith why he told her to do this when he claimed he wanted nothing to do with her, he said yesterday: "It was just out of courtesy'' to stop men making comments.

Stalker admits previous conviction He also admitted having a row with the woman's current boyfriend outside her place of work when he said the woman had put on weight and had been smoking and drinking. He also admitted calling her a "whore'' and an "adulteress'' but denied swearing and calling her a bitch.

Astwood said he sent around 80 letters from Westgate to his friends and friends and associates of the victim. Around a third of these dealt with his relationship with the woman to "put my side''.

"I was fed up. I spoke to her family and her children and said she has a tendency of doing the same things with every individual. It was vindictive in not letting me get on with my life.'' Mr. Francis asked: "But what has she done to you?'' Astwood replied: "Making me out to be a monster when you know deep inside I am not.'' Astwood admitted that he told the woman's boyfriend he had to talk to him about the complainant's character.

The court heard last week that the victim received a message at work asking her to call a pager number, which turned out to be Astwood's. The woman's boyfriend called and left his cellphone number and shortly afterward received a call from someone claiming to be Astwood's friend, warning him about the complainant.

He received a second call from a man who eventually admitted to being Astwood.

The boyfriend said he recognised the voice as being the same man as previously, although Astwood denied making the first telephone call.

He also denied making another call to the woman pretending to be an American friend of his former girlfriend and then accusing her of sleeping with other men.

Mr. Francis said: "What's striking me in this case is that before all of this started, you didn't know (the boyfriend) and you wanted to get away from (the complainant), but yet here you've confirmed that this man you don't know, who is with the woman you want to get away from ends up in your pager, and you can't help me?'' Astwood replied: "Someone could easily do it.'' Mr. Francis said: "The only explanation you can give for that number getting in your pager is it was done maliciously to make trouble?'' When asked by Ms Smith why he felt he had to warn the boyfriend about the complainant even though their relationship ended two years earlier, Astwood replied: "I had to tell him because when you look at it, does he want to go through the same experience I went through?'' Mr. Francis will give a verdict next month.