Bez sought by police over allegedly breaching restraining order

Former Happy Mondays star Bez was being sought by police today over allegations he breached a restraining order by contacting his ex-girlfriend.

Monica Ward claims the father of their two-year-old son had pestered her with text messages and phone calls since he was convicted of assaulting her in August.

Bez, who found fame for his freaky dancing in the Happy Mondays in the late 1980s, was jailed for four weeks after a row over money with Miss Ward.

He flew into a rage and put his hands round her neck and throttled her.

Miss Ward said he was "looking insane" as he squeezed her neck and kicked down a door in the incident at their flat in Whalley Range, Manchester, in May.

He was originally given a community service order for committing the assault but refused to comply with the sentence and was then sent to prison by Manchester magistrates.

Bez - real name Mark Berry - was also given a restraining order preventing him from contacting Miss Ward for two years.

Bez had been living at a friend's house in Urmston, Greater Manchester, but has since disappeared following the fresh claims.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "He is said to have made repeated attempts to contact Monica by phone and text.

"We will arrest him when we find him. Attempts are being made to track him down. We may need to get another police force involved."

Last month, he lost his appeal at Manchester Crown Court to overturn his conviction and was also ordered to pay £500 costs.

"It's a joke," Bez said from the dock. "I'm going to take this to a higher court. I'm not paying nothing."