Armed police were deployed to arrest the 26-year-old and take his former partner and estranged daughter to safety after he made the threats on Facebook.
His terrified ex-partner, who is also the mother of his daughter, was sent a screenshot of the post, which made reference to ‘the Polish one’ – referring to killer Damian Rzeszowski, who stabbed his family and two others in Victoria Crescent in 2011.
The defendant, who the JEP has chosen not to name to protect the identity of his victims, admitted breaching restraining and binding-over orders at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
In a separate incident earlier this year, he was sentenced for common assault and refusing to obey a police officer. The crimes led to
the two orders being imposed.
The restraining order restricted the contact he could have with the mother of his daughter. However, Crown Advocate Carla Carvalho, prosecuting, said that between 23 and 26 August, the defendant committed a number of breaches.
During this time, he sent a message to his ex-partner saying: ‘I hope you both had a lovely weekend – love you x.’
And on 25 August, at 4.12pm, 4.38pm and 4.47pm, the ex-partner received a number of calls from the same number but did not answer.
Advocate Carvalho added that the victim was later sent a screenshot of a Facebook post that the defendant had published, stating that his daughter loved him and making reference to ‘the Polish one’.
Advocate Carvalho said in court that it was believed this was in reference to Rzeszowski, who killed his wife, Izabela, children Kinga (5) and Kacper (2), 56-year-old father-in-law Marek Garstka, family friend Marta de la Haye (34) and her five-year-old daughter Julia, in August 2011.
Advocate Carvalho added: ‘The complainant also received screenshots of posts from the same Facebook account where he [the defendant] appeared to be holding two knives while stood on a pavement, in public.’
Advocate Chris Hillier, defending, said that a treatment plan had been developed for his client which would hopefully break his ‘pattern’ of repeated offending.
‘He clearly sees the seriousness of the situation and is deeply embarrassed by his actions. He regrets what happened and the impact that it has had on him, his former partner and his daughter,’ he said.
‘Since his previous social enquiry report, a diagnosis has been fixed and the emotional distress has been overwhelming. He now wants to break his current pattern of reoffending and the updated social enquiry report indicates a way forward in how that can be achieved.
‘My client will do anything that the court orders to overcome the difficulties that he has and to maintain a relationship with his daughter.’
However, the Magistrate, Bridget Shaw, said that the breach of the orders had left the complainant living in fear.
‘On 29th July, you came to court and you were asked what the order meant and you said that there was to be absolutely no contact. But I read in the social enquiry report that you told the probation officer that no piece of paper would stop you doing what you thought was your duty to your daughter. It is not just a piece of paper – it was a court order.
‘You sent a photograph and referred to the Polish man who went insane and that was in reference to the Victoria Crescent killings – that caused considerable fear for her and you pose an unacceptable risk to her.’
The restraining order was also increased to seven years from the date that it was imposed.
