FORMER SOLDIER WHO THREATENED TO KILL AND HANG EX-PARTNER'S CHILDREN IS SENTENCED
A former soldier who threatened to kill his ex-partner’s children and hang their father from a tree outside their home has been sentenced.Gary Flynn, 40, last week pleaded guilty to a charge under the Malicious Communications Act of sending threatening messages for the purpose of causing distress or anxiety to the recipient.
Kirklees magistrates heard that the couple’s relationship broke down after she found out about a previous conviction for a sexual offence.
The Dewsbury woman then refused to allow Flynn to see their child for unsupervised visits.
Following this he sent her nasty texts, phone calls and voicemails between November last year and January this year.
In one message Flynn, of Middlesbrough, threatened: “If I lose it, your kids will be 6ft under.” The victim then received voicemails in which Flynn threatened to stab her and her ex-partner.
He said: “I’ll knife him and hang him from a tree in front of your house.” Flynn, now living in Harford Street, Ayresome, also goaded: “Tell him to come to Teesside and I’ll show him how nasty I can be.” The former soldier said that he suffered from combat stress and post-traumatic stress disorder which caused him to be aggressive and suffer from memory loss.
His solicitor Fazaila Kauser told magistrates at the previous hearing: “He just wanted to see his son and, when she said he could not, this upset him and he sent the messages “He admits he shouldn’t have sent them (and) he should have controlled what he said to her.
“At the time he was suffering from low moods and said he had no intention to carry out these threats.” Flynn was sentenced to a community order with up to 25 days of rehabilitation activities.
He will have to pay £85 prosecution costs and £85 victim surcharge.
