'Impulsive' Hartlepool woman who made frightening threats has punishment cut at appeal

Alicia Jones, 20, was given a suspended prison sentence, 60 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £150 compensation by magistrates after she admitted harassment and threatening to damage property.

It related to making numerous phone calls and sending a threatening Facebook message to the female victim on August 3 last year.

Teesside Crown Court heard Jones ‘lost it’ when police visited her grandmother’s house following a dispute over a belt the victim had borrowed from a mutual friend and Jones got involved in trying to retrieve it.

Anthony Pettengell, prosecuting, described how as a result of the police's visit Jones made a series of phone calls to the victim from a withheld number.

When the victim ignored them or hung up Jones sent a message calling the victim names and saying “your windows are going out”.

Jones repeated the threat in another phone call adding: “You are going to get your head kicked in.”

The victim said in a statement taken shortly afterwards that she no longer felt safe in her own home.

But Andrew Teate, representing Jones, argued the court’s original sentence was too harsh.

He said the offences only warranted a community sentence not a custodial one.

Mr Teate said Jones had been “impulsive”, had limited history of the court service and has diagnosed physical and mental health issues.

He said: "This was a moment of stupidity getting involved in somebody else’s dispute over a trivial matter of a belt.

"But she's young, she has difficulties and could quite aptly be dealt with in the community without this matter crossing the custody threshold.”

Jones, of Harvester Close, Hartlepool, also told police she did not intend to carry out the threats.

Judge Deborah Sherwin and a magistrate reduced the sentence to a 12-month community order with 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Judge Sherwin said: “We are minded to allow this appeal.”

A restraining order for Jones to stay away from the victim was ordered to remain in place.

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