A man who was being helped by a community mental health team sent a number of offensive text messages to them in which he called them “a bunch of homo hairdressers” and “lowlife rats”.

When he was spoken to by the police he said what he had written were thoughts he had in his head and it had felt better to get rid of them.

He had sent them in the early hours of the morning when he did not expect anyone to be using the phone.

At Truro Magistrates' Court Clifford Morgan, 24, of Polweath Close, Penzance, pleaded guilty to sending an offensive message to Jonathon Allard on February 27.

Alison May, prosecuting, said Morgan was engaged with the mental health team based at Trengweath and had been contacted by a member of the team about his potential participation, making an appointment for him to discuss what would be happening.

After this, a clinical studies officer received a number of offensive texts from him.

At interview Morgan said he did not think the team were taking him seriously in relation to his illness and treatment. Also, he had not been taking his medication.

He said he did not know Mr Allard and the messages had not been personal to him, but to the whole team. He had previous convictions.

Graham Calderwood, his solicitor, said he did not have a mental illness but had a paranoid personality trait and distrusted everyone.

Jim Beresford, community psychiatric nurse, said he felt the messages were a product of Morgan's own distress rather than intended to cause distress to someone else.

Morgan was given a conditional discharge for a year.