A man who threatened to slice a baby in half during a row with neighbouring family has been jailed. Paul Foster, 39, made the disturbing threats to the family at the block of flats where they lived.
Threats made during dispute
Cardiff Crown Court heard there was bad blood between Foster and a couple with a young child who lived nearby. Prosecutor Lucia Cavaliere said that after a minor physical scuffle, Foster told the mother: "I'm going to slice your baby in half."
Police were called and Foster was arrested. As he was being taken into custody, he said the father had been "intimidating me for months." He told police: "One day, I'm going to smash him in the face - I'm going to decapitate him."
Further threats and sentencing
Foster added: "Just wait until I'm released - I'm going to go on a killing spree. I'm going to chop his head off."
In a victim impact statement, the female victim said: "He threatened to smash my partner's brains out of his head. I've felt very tense and nervous since the incident, and I haven't been able to sleep. I do believe he would carry out these threats."
The court heard Foster was serving a suspended prison sentence for threats to kill, religiously aggravated harassment/alarm/distress by words/writing/behaviour and criminal damage at the time of the offences.
Jac Brown, defending, said: "The defendant has deep-seated mental health issues. He suffers from anxiety and paranoia, which are exacerbated by his alcohol use. The defendant has become isolated in his personal life."
Judge Christopher Felstead told Foster he had made "nasty and unpleasant threats". Foster was jailed for 17 months and made the subject of five-year restraining orders.
