Jealous man's death threats to ex's new partner and family - months after ramming them off road
A JEALOUS man who called his ex despite being barred from contacting her and made "terrible, appalling, and unjustified threats of violence" has been jailed.
Nicholas Holland (31), was banned from contacting his ex-partner— after ramming her car off the road — at the time he called her and her partner and made a series of threats.
Sheffield Crown Court heard Holland had been with his ex-partner for six months but they had broken up in December 2019 because of what his ex-partner deemed to be his jealous and controlling behaviour.
Mr Andrew Smith, prosecuting, said Holland had been convicted last July of dangerous driving and assault after ramming his ex-partner, her new partner and a child off the road in a jealous attack.
Holland had been jailed for a year and banned from speaking to or contacting his ex-partner for five years, but was released after less than two months, Mr Smith said.
The prosecutor said after Holland was released he had almost immediately tried to make contact with his ex-partner’s friends, including her new partner, via Snapchat — but his requests to make contact were rejected.
At around 3am on September 23, two days after his release, Holland’s ex-partner, and her new partner, were woken up by calls from a withheld number, Mr Smith said.
“There were more than 100 calls — she answered one and recognised the voice as Holland’s,” he added.
Holland’s ex-partner and her new partner recorded the conversation, during which the defendant made numerous threats, including one to take the new partner’s children away.
He demanded her new partner send him £1,000 or “Your dad, your mum, the kids, the lot, are dead”, Mr Smith said.
Holland bombarded hs ex-partner with foul-mouthed insults and threatened to cut her neck and those of other people.
He was arrested two days later and denied making the phone calls.
Holland, of Lime Tree Walk, Denaby, only admitted offences of blackmail and breaching a restraining order after fresh evidence emerged, linking his mobile phone to the calls made to his ex-partner.
His ex-partner said in a statement which was read to the court that since Holland had been released from prison, she no longer felt able to lead her normal life.
She said it had had a serious effect not only on her but also on her family, because they had all been threatened.
Mitigating, Ms Laura Marshall said: “The defendant acknowledges he has been stupid and reckless and caused harm to others.
“He is very sorry for his behaviour.”
Judge Rachael Harrison jailed Holland for two years and five months.
She said: “When that mobile phone call was answered, you made terrible, appalling, and unjustified threats of violence.
“What you have done is left two people who are unable to live a normal life; who are in fear because of what you have done.”