Southwick man threatened to slit partner’s throat
5:00pm Saturday 11th February 2012 in News
Shaun Reilly
A father who threatened to slit the throat of his former partner if she didn’t withdraw a charge of assault against him has been jailed for a year.
Shaun Reilly, formerly of Newton, Trowbridge, but now living in a mobile home at Standerwick, had bombarded his victim with telephone calls, despite being told to leave her alone, before she finally answered.
And the 21-year-old told her he was going to ‘slit her throat’ and take their child away from her.
He also offered her money to tell the police it was someone else who had committed the offence and not him.
Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court on Wednesday, Reilly and the victim had been in a ‘turbulent’ relationship and he had assaulted her in the past. In late February last year he assaulted her and threw items around her house as they argued about him seeing another woman.
He was released on bail and told to have no contact with her, but a couple of weeks later he saw her in Manor Road, Trowbridge, where he pushed her and threatened to break her jaw.
After he was arrested magistrates again released him on bail, but on the afternoon and evening of March 20 he tried to phone her 62 times.
He then tried a further 21 times between 4.14am and 9.43am, when she answered as he had woken the baby and she was fed up with him ringing.
Reilly told her: “I’m going to slit your throat and take the child. I’ll punch anyone who tries to stop me.”
The woman had a friend with her at the time and managed to put her mobile on speakerphone while the friend recorded the conversation on her handset.
During the five-minute call he said he knew someone who would pay her to say she had made it up and said he would send the man round.
Reilly pleaded guilty to witness intimidation.
Alex Daymond, defending, said it was ironic justices imposed a six-month conditional discharges for the offences of assault and damage.
He said his client was now in a new relationship with a partner who is pregnant and wanted nothing more to do with the victim, although he still saw his daughter.
Although there were threats of violence, he said they were not meant to be taken seriously by the victim.
Since the incident he said the couple have spoken on the phone and he has continued to see the child through her sister.
Reilly works part time for caters Weddings Are Go, he said, and laying driveways.
Judge Euan Ambrose said: “This was a deliberate attempt to intimidate a witness.
“Threats were issued and they were against a background in which you had been violent to her in the past. It is difficult to see how she could have expected not to take this very seriously.”
As well as jail, the judge also imposed a restraining order banning him from having contact with the victim for five years unless through a third party to arrange contact with the child.
