A "violent and aggressive" man installed a hidden camera in the bedroom he shared with his partner and sent her up to 100 texts a day, a court heard.

Great Yarmouth Magistrates' Court heard how Karl Holyland, 49, of Salhouse Road, Norwich, denied engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour of Laura Holyland.

The allegations included name-calling, aggressive behaviour, installing the camera in their North Walsham home and accusing her of cheating between December 2015 and December 2019.

Other allegations were harassment through emails, texts and voicemails between February 2020 and July 2020.

Laura Holyland told the court how her now ex-husband had a “Jekyll and Hyde personality”.

She said he struggled with alcoholism and “got so drunk at times that he would become violent and aggressive.”

Ms Holyland said after discovering Holyland had installed a camera in their bedroom in early 2019 without her knowledge she felt “disbelief".

She said: “I was hurt because a marriage is meant to be based on love and loyalty and obviously none of that was there.

“I stuck with him and supported him and tried to help him with his drinking problems and went to AA because I loved him but that wasn’t enough.”

Ms Holyland said her husband constantly accused her of cheating and having affairs. She said the experience had left her feeling broken.

“I’m a shadow of my former self. I used to be confident, I used to be positive, I used to just be upbeat,” she said.

Prosecuting, Fred Sagoe said in police interviews Holyland had admitted that he had put a camera in the bedroom.

Representing himself, Holyland said he installed the camera because he was "trying to find lies".

He said: "I had no excuse for putting it there. I was very stressed at the time."

Holyland also told the court he "could not remember how many times" he had asked Ms Holyland if she had cheated on him and "struggled with a lot of emotions".

He said that if he had gone "over the top" by swearing or speaking aggressively to Ms Holyland on the phone, it was partly because of upsetting texts she had sent.

Presiding justice, magistrate Anthony Smith, said Ms Holyland was a "credible and clear witness".

He said Holyland's defence was "less than clear and his evidence, his explanations were not credible or sustainable."

Holyland was found guilty on one count of harassment and one count of controlling or coercive behaviour.

He was released on bail and will be sentenced at crown court at a later date.