He menacingly warned her: ‘If I get there and you don’t let me in, I will be the man you don’t want me to be’
Christopher Fletcher pictured outside Hull Crown Court(Image: Hull Live)
A menacing bully who once threatened to murder a terrified woman, cut her head off and “become the next Raoul Moat” has finally been jailed after throwing away his chance to avoid prison. Aggressive boyfriend Christopher Fletcher ignored a suspended prison sentence, stalked another woman and warned her that it was her “last chance before I explode”.
He taunted her that she could do it “the easy way or the hard way” and that she would be sorry, Hull Crown Court heard. Fletcher, 40, of Lisle Court, Dagger Lane, Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted an offence of stalking between June 1 and 17.
Marc Luxford, prosecuting, said that Fletcher and the woman had previously had a “short fling”. Contact was later reinitiated years later and things were at first okay between them.
Fletcher later became controlling and he told her what she could and could not do. He sent her more than 150 messages, mainly on WhatsApp, as well as numerous telephone calls, many of them friendly but still unwanted.
Fletcher warned her: “If you don’t come, you won’t make Saturday” – and it was a threat to end her life if she did not go to his property to resolve matters. He told her: “Last chance before I explode” and that there was an “easy way or a hard way”.
He warned her to ensure that her door was open. Fletcher told the woman: “If I get there and you don’t let me in, I will be the man you don’t want me to be.”
He asked her: “Why don’t you go and tell your copper mates?” and warned her: “You’re going to be sorry.” Fletcher insulted her and the messages continued.
He was arrested on June 17 at his home. He had convictions for 22 previous offences, including harassment, sending malicious communications and public order offences.
In October, he was given a 21-month suspended prison sentence, a six-month monitoring order, 20 days’ rehabilitation and a 10-year restraining order after he admitted making threats to kill the woman on August 14, 2023. He was in breach of the suspended sentence.
Billy Torbett, mitigating, said that father-of-three Fletcher had a “less than favourable” criminal record. “He accepts that,” said Mr Torbett. “He accepts he went off the rails.
“He readily accepts sending these messages. He knew he needed to make changes and he was doing his best. This is a significant step back for him.
“This type of offending is over a period of just over two weeks. His previous offending is similar in nature.” He had been in custody on remand for about six weeks.
Fletcher was jailed for 20 months and he was given a five-year restraining order. The prison term included a consecutive 18 months for breaching the suspended sentence. He must pay a £154 victims’ surcharge.
The court was told in October that Fletcher warned his then girlfriend that he would “make the news the same night” and he likened himself to a notorious gunman who shot dead one man and wounded his ex-girlfriend and a policeman before shooting himself.
The distressed woman feared that he was capable of carrying out his chilling threats, the court heard that day. The couple were in a relationship but there was an unhappy background between them and Fletcher took advantage of her.
He made threats to the probation service that he was going to cause her great harm. He threatened to cut her head off after murdering her and said that he would be “the next Raoul Moat”.
This was a reference to the cold-blooded gunman who shot and wounded his ex-girlfriend with a sawn-off shotgun, killed her new boyfriend and wounded and permanently blinded a policeman in 2010. He went on the run for nearly a week and later killed himself.
Fletcher told the woman that he would murder her and that he “would make the news the same night”. His behaviour made her feel ill and caused her to suffer depression.
These threats sounded real to her and she believed that he was capable of following them through. She had a constant feeling of anxiety, wondering what he would do next.
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