Raoul Moat threat 'bully' sent to jail

A Shropshire man who threatened his ex-girlfriend on Facebook that he would be "the next Raoul Moat" after she ended their relationship has been jailed for 14 months.

The social networking post by Aiden Jones was just one of a string of threats he made to 18-year-old Katie Preece, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard yesterday.

On one occasion, he threatened to kill both himself and their six-month-old son and on another he vowed over the phone to petrol bomb Miss Preece's home, the court was told

Farmhand Jones, 24, of Weston Road, Minsterley, admitted putting Miss Preece in fear of violence by harassment from July 11 to 16 this year.

Judge Michael Fowler, sentencing, told Jones he was "an unreformed bully".

In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Fowler made Jones the subject of a five-year restraining order under which he is barred from making any contact with Miss Preece, unless it be through his solicitor to arrange access to their son.

The order also bans Jones from going within a mile of Miss Preece's home in the Craven Arms area.

Mr Robert Edwards, prosecuting, said after Miss Preece ended the relationship with Jones he made a string of threats, including putting a post on Facebook directed at Miss Preece in which he said he would be the next Raoul Moat.

The reference was to the 37-year-old who, armed with a sawn-off shotgun, wounded his ex-girlfriend, shot dead her new partner and wounded a police officer before eventually killing himself in Northumberland in July this year.

Mr Danny Smith, for Jones, said his client never had any intention of carrying out the Facebook threat or any other threats.