A Medway special constable reported to police that an ex-lover had started a vendetta against him after their love affair ended.

Tristian Smith, 26, told how he had to fight off men armed with knives and a baseball bat.

The former Kent University graduate said the word "die" had been daubed on the front and rear of his home in St Williams Way, Rochester.

A jury at Maidstone Crown Court heard how his ex-lover, Charlotte Clark-Hughes and her mother and step-father were later arrested and quizzed.

But Prosecutor Paul Valder has alleged that rather than being the victim of a vendetta, Smith was behind the vendetta after being dumped.

Smith is now on trial on 10 charges, including perverting the course of justice and assaulting his ex by biting her during a violent row. He has denied all the offences.

Mr Valder told how the couple had met at University and began a three year relationship - which turned sour in August 2017.

"He said how angry he was and how he wanted to tear her family apart and get revenge..."

He said: "This case is about the sad toxic fall-out during the breakdown of a relationship and the lengths, prosecution say this defendant went to cause difficulties for his ex-girlfriend after their love turned sour and then, on his part, turned into an almost obsessive hatred."

By October 2017, Smith accepted the relationship was over in texts sent to his brother, it was claimed.

"He said how angry he was and how he wanted to tear her family apart and get revenge, " said Mr Valder.

The same day as sending a text to his brother, Smith also reported to police how he had received threatening texts from his ex's mother and step-father, it was alleged.

Mr Valder said: "That led to them both being arrested by police. He then made a report about receiving an email from his ex demanding he drop charges against her step-father.

"At the same time the defendant began to report a series of sinister events at his home address, people knocking at his door and then running off, someone entering the back garden and then spray painting the word 'die' all over the rear of the house, " he claimed.

Smith also claimed he had fought off marked men armed with a knife and a baseball bat who had come to his home.

The prosecutor said: "During this period he was serving as a special constable with Kent Police and inevitably those reports were taken seriously by his colleagues.

"The picture was emerging of the defendant receiving threats from his ex-girlfriend and her family and she was also arrested.

"However, the police dealing with these allegations found it odd that none of these incidents were being captured on expensive CCTV that the defendant had installed at his home, " he claimed.

Mr Valder claimed Smith had lied about the attacks and instead of being the victim of a vendetta was the perpetrator of the vendetta by him hacking into her Facebook account and "spoofing" text messages.

The trial continues.

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