Jailed: Man threatened to slit family's throats and throw them in river
A man has been jailed for 16 months after threatening a family, saying he would slit their throats.
David Jones, 31, of Stafford Road, Walsall, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to one charge of affray.
John Brotherton, prosecuting, said the incident had taken place on November 8, last year, in the Whitbread Road area of Ludlow.
Judge Anthony Lowe heard that Jones had previously been recalled to prison after breaching the terms of his licence, in September 2022.
Mr Brotherton said Jones had blamed the Poole family for being sent back to prison, and had asked them for compensation.
The court was told that Lee Poole was home on November 8 when he heard loud banging on the door – "so loud the door was shaking", according to Mr Brotherton.
He then heard Jones shouting: "I am going to mop up, I am going to slit your throats."
He had added: "I am going to throw you in the river. None of you know me, none of you know what I can do."
Mr Brotherton said Mr Poole had sat with his back against the door to prevent Jones getting in, in case he tried to force the door.
At the same time, Ryan Poole and Callum Poole, Mr Jones' nephews, were returning to the home, in a works van, when they saw him.
The court heard he had been walking towards the van shouting, and concerned at his behaviour they had driven away.
Mr Brotherton said: "He was shouting 'get out of the van, I am going to slit your throat'."
Judge Lowe heard that Jones was arrested shortly after and told police he had not thought anyone was home when he was banging on the door.
He said his nephews had driven past "calling him a crackhead" and he shouted at them.
Kevin Jones, mitigating, said: "He has always accepted his presence at the scene was unwanted and unwarranted."
He added that Jones has suffered from mental health issues, adding that "sometimes emotions get the better of him, and this is one of those occasions".
He said that he was aware of the help the Poole family had given him in the past but due to his bipolar condition had become paranoid.
He added that Jones wanted to apologise for his actions.
Sentencing, Judge Lowe said that Jones, who has previously been jailed for six and a half years for a section 18 offence, needed to learn to control his anger.
He said: "The reality is for the last 11 years you have repeatedly come back before the court for offences of violence and as you know with each of those offences you have gone higher up the offending level, right up to a section 18 offence for which you got six and a half years.
"Two things worry me. One is after such a lengthy prison sentence it still did not seem to have any impact on your behaviour, and the other is for whatever reason, you just seem to be angry."
He added: "That anger sometimes manifests itself in serious offences.
"You need to find out why you are so angry, otherwise it is not going to stop."
Jones was jailed for 16 months and made subject to a restraining order.
