A man from Looe has been charged with sending a series of bomb threats and violent, sexual emails to two well-known TV presenters.

ITV Westcountry's anchor woman, Alexis Bowater, and weather girl Kate Reeves, received dozens of threatening emails between 2006 and 2008.

Alexander Reeve, 24, who lives with his parents in Marine Drive, Looe, appeared at South Devon magistrates' court, on Tuesday, charged with two counts of communicating false information, leading people to believe a bomb was present at the ITV Westcountry studio in Plympton, near Plymouth.

Phil Sewell, prosecuting, said that the emails, containing bomb threats, caused ITV Westcountry to be put on alert and it was considered a very real possibility for the studio.

Fear

Magistrates at Newton Abbot heard that Reeve, also charged with three counts of causing fear, alarm or distress to Ms Bowater and Ms Reeves, sent 34 lewd emails to the presenters.

It was revealed Ms Bowater, who has been a news anchor for Westcountry Live for five years, received the first emails in January 2006 but did not report them at first because she hoped nothing would come of them.

The emails were traced back to Reeve and police arrested him at 10.30am on October 2 at an address in Looe, the court was told.

 Reeve, who made no plea and was represented by Owen Lawton, will appear before Torquay Magistrates in February for a committal hearing.

 He was granted bail on the condition that he must not enter Plympton unless travelling on the A38, that he does not contact ITV Westcountry and that he lives at his home address.

ITV was unable to make a comment at this stage.