A menacing bully left a terrified woman fearing that she would be killed after he threatened to murder her, cut her head off and “become the next Raoul Moat”.
Aggressive boyfriend Christopher Fletcher warned her 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, Hull Crown Court heard.
Fletcher, 39, of Lisle Court, Dagger Lane, Hull, admitted making threats to kill the woman on August 14. Jeremy Barton, prosecuting, said that 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” – 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 so real to the victim in this case and she believed that he was capable of following them through,” said Mr Barton. “He wore her down over time. She began to perform badly at work. She had a constant feeling of anxiety, wondering what the defendant would do next.”
The woman had since installed a video camera at her home because of her heightened anxiety. She was on edge just in daily life. “The offences caused serious distress and practical harm to the victim,” said Mr Barton.
Fletcher was arrested but he made no comment to all questions during police interview. He had convictions for 21 previous convictions, including matters of violence and threats to cause violence. His convictions included robbery, assault causing actual bodily harm, harassment, assaulting a police officer as an emergency worker and breaching a restraining order.
Jazmine Lee, mitigating, said that it was a very short relationship. “He accepts that he was less than pleasant and that he was no angel,” said Miss Lee. Problems reared their head in an “ugly manner” and Fletcher sent unpleasant messages but the vast majority of them were sent to the probation service.
“They are threats of significant violence,” said Miss Lee. “He has expressed remorse and frustration at himself. He accepts these would have been frightening for her – but it was frightening for himself. He describes it as his head being completely gone.
“She had expressed a wish to separate from him. He completely spiralled out of all control. He had no intention of carrying out any of these threats. He accepts that they would have been frightening and were completely uncalled for. He has been given chances by the courts.”
Recorder Ayesha Smart told Fletcher: “It was a serious offence. You have a nasty record for offences of violence, harassment and threats of violence. You threatened her with significant and serious violence.
“You have been in and out of custody historically and you have shown relatively poor compliance with any orders until the most recent ones.”
Sentence was deferred until October 27 for Fletcher to prove that he can stay out of trouble.