NOTTINGHAM MAN JAILED FOR TERRIFYING WEAPON THREATS AND COERCIVE BEHAVIOUR
A "childish and immature" partner sent his former girlfriend a terrifying video of himself loading a pistol and saying he will, "blast the ******* lot of them", a court heard.Daniel Lay sent the shocking clip to the woman in early 2023.
Months later, on May 4 this year, he turned up at her home uninvited with a fake firearm and said: "I will do us both in".
She ran upstairs and called police, who attended and searched Lay's home where they found a "Zombie knife" - which he said was part of his collection.
The imitation gun he had bought for £270, Nottingham Crown Court heard on Wednesday (July 26).
The incidents came to light as possessive Lay was jailed for a total of 38 months, of which he will serve half, and handed an indefinite restraining order.
He pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour relating to his ex-partner, having the knife and imitation firearm, which Recorder Stuart Sprawson said he had used to "terrify" the woman.
The awful episode of offending followed Lay assaulting her, hitting her head, headbutting her, burning her with an iron, and saying he would stab her.
Phil Gibbs, prosecuting, told the court: "On occasion he would knock her to the ground and stamp on her".
After they split, he harassed her and bombarded her with messages - sometimes up to 50 times a day.
The victim, who attended the sentencing hearing, made a statement describing how she was now reluctant to go out and has lived at her mum's home since.
"I have constant anxiety and depression," she added.
Mitigating, Gary Short said: "Our case is this was a toxic, volatile relationship".
Addressing Lay, aged 29, of Strelley Road, Strelley, the judge said the threats of violence he used were certainly one-sided.
He said Lay had struck her to her head, headbutted her, bit her, used an iron to brandish and mark her, and struck her with a mop.
"You have pulled her hair and, on the ground, you stamped on her with your feet, threatened her with a knife and threatened her with a video of yourself with some form of pistol, and were seen loading it and sending the video to her.
"On May 4, you returned with a pistol.
She had the presence of mind to go upstairs with the children rather than confronting you there and then".
The judge added that Lay should be ashamed of himself and branded him a "bully, childish and immature".
