A man who threatened to kill his probation officer before making offensive phone calls to his lawyer has been jailed.

Andrew Titley, 36, was jailed for six months after admitting two offensive phone calls and one menacing one.

Colchester magistrates heard Titley, of Campernell Close, in Brightlingsea, was angered by a probation report on him, and threatened the officer brought in to investigate his complaint, Jim A'Hearn.

Sherry Dalesandro, prosecuting, said Titley had complained over what he felt was an unfair probation report.

He threatened to kill the officer despite an apology being offered for "minor errors".

Told how to take the complaint further, he became angry, saying he was serious about the threats. "He said he was happy to kill him with his own hands, and that he was able to," said Miss Dalesandro.

Two months later, in May, he contacted an Ipswich solicitor, Naomi Turner, about a doctor's report into his mental health, but he became angry after she cancelled an appointment with him.

The bench heard Titley had been abusive during calls to his lawyer and the office receptionist at Ashton Graham, the Ipswich-based solicitors.

Titley had been drinking before each call, the court heard.

Paul Tawn, mitigating, said Titley had been advised that the probation report errors were not minor. His complaint had been "festering" for ten months by the time he telephoned Jim A'Hearn, the investigating officer at Cardiff.

At a subsequent court hearing, his two-year community rehabilitation order was revoked, and replaced by a six-month prison sentence.

Mr Tawn said his client suffered from a personality disorder, and had had an alcohol problem from the age of 18. As a result, he had never held a formal job.

Published Monday October 28, 2002

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