A man who threatened to "crush the head" of his ex-partner's new baby has been jailed.
Curtis Hoffman sent a series of messages, voice notes, and an email to the woman threatening to burn her house down, crush her son's head, and "splatter" him against a wall.
At Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Lucy Crowther described the threats as "serious, cruel, spiteful, vindictive, and terrifying".
Threats made in messages
Lucia Cavaliere, prosecuting, told the court the defendant and the complainant were ex-partners who have a child together. In December last year, Hoffman was given a suspended prison sentence and made subject to a restraining order after being convicted of threatening to damage the woman's property.
The court heard that shortly after midnight on August 20 this year, the complainant received a phone call from an unknown number which she did not answer. The call went to answerphone, and when the message was checked it turned out to be from Hoffman. In the message, the defendant threatened to burn the woman's house down and made threats against the 14-week-old baby she has with her new partner, saying: "I'm going to crush your son dead".
Over the next 15 minutes, the defendant left a series of voice notes threatening to hurt his ex and to "crush your son's head" with his feet. The woman subsequently found an email in her spam folder from Hoffman in which he said he had told members of his family that if he ever saw his ex's baby he would pick him up and "splatter him against a wall".
Arrest and sentencing
The threats were reported to the police and the defendant was arrested. He subsequently refused to leave his cell to be interviewed by officers. The court heard Hoffman's former partner had declined to make a victim impact statement.
Curtis Hoffman, of Tidenham Road, Caerau, Cardiff, had previously pleaded guilty to breach of a restraining order, sending threatening communications, harassment, and making threats to damage property when he returned to the dock for sentencing.
Abhinav Mohindru, for Hoffman, said the defendant had been doing well on his suspended sentence but said it had to be accepted the threats made had been "appalling", and said at the time they were made his client was on a "binge". He added that his ex's new partner was a close family member of the defendant.
Judge Crowther said she understood the breakdown of the defendant's relationship and his former partner's new relationship must be "painful" for him but said "that is as far as it goes". She described threats made in the messages as of a "most serious, cruel, spiteful, vindictive, and terrifying kind". The judge said the offending was too serious to be dealt with by any sentence other than one of immediate imprisonment.
With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas, Hoffman was sentenced to 26 months in prison, and the judge activated two months of the previously-imposed three-month suspended sentence to run consecutively, making an overall sentence of 28 months. The defendant will serve 40% of the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
