Shropshire father spared prison after threats to ex-partner
A father has been spared prison despite making repeated threats to his ex-partner to "burn her alive" by setting fire to the house she lived in with their daughter.
Matthew Hamer, of Beaumont Court, in Church Stretton, sent a series of text messages to the woman in May threatening to burn the house down "with you in it" after their two-and-a-half year relationship came to an end.
The 25-year-old admitted one charge of harassment with a threat of violence at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday and Judge Peter Barrie told Hamer that he had "spectacularly" let his daughter down.
But after his former partner decided to retract her statement, Hamer received a 16-week jail term suspended for two years despite Judge Barrie admitting the offence "easily passed" the custody threshold.
He was also given a 12-month supervision order and ordered to pay £500 court costs, but a restraining order was not made.
Mr Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said the relationship had ended after the defendant became "progressively more possessive" and from May 19 the woman started to receive a series of threats and abuse via text message. The next day Hamer turned up at her house over an issue about their daughter's pram and the court was told he grabbed her by the arm and jaw during a struggle lasting about three minutes.
Mr Jones added: "When he drove off from the house he wound his window down and shouted 'I'm going to burn you alive and never mind who else is inside'.
"She had trouble sleeping afterwards and had to take time off work as she was afraid he might come back to Ludlow where they live."
The ex-partner later changed her statement and said she was partly to blame, the court heard.
She insisted that Hamer, who was cautioned for possession of an offensive weapon in March 2011, was a good father to their child.
Danny Smith, defending, said the Land Rover factory worker had shown "great remorse" and faced up to his own criminality by pleading guilty.
But Judge Barrie said: "The victim of this hurtful behaviour is your daughter. What you did is very serious, texting this woman with threats of burning the house down and assaulting her.
"Threatening people is very frightening and this was not an idle threat – you've got to grow up and take control of your actions."
