Man who threatened woman over police report jailed

Nigel Blackburn admitted witness intimidation, with a charge of assault dropped

A man who threatened his partner after she told police he had attacked her has been jailed for eight months.

Nigel Blackburn, 42, was high on drugs and alcohol when he sent voice notes in May telling the woman not to be a "grass", Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Blackburn, from Jarrow, South Tyneside, whose previous convictions included harassment of another ex-partner, admitted intimidating a witness.

He was also accused of assaulting the woman - who at the time had feared she had breast cancer - but the charge was dropped after she retracted her earlier statement, the court heard.

Blackburn, of Castleton Road, first started a relationship with the woman 26 years ago and they had been together again for several months leading up to May this year, prosecutor Jordan Parkinson said.

On 28 May, at a time when it was feared the woman had breast cancer, Blackburn straddled her as she slept and repeatedly punched her in the head, the court heard.

Three days later, while the woman was speaking to police about the attack, Blackburn sent her voice messages saying she was a "grass" and if he went to prison he would "come out and do worse", Ms Parkinson said.

His victim went on to retract her statements to officers, saying she did not want to attend court due to a deterioration in her mental health, the court heard.

The intimidation offence also put him in breach of a community order for harassing a woman he had seen for 15 years, the court heard.

In mitigation, Fiona Lamb said Blackburn had taken cocaine and drunk alcohol at the time.

Judge Tim Gittins said Blackburn's threats "implied serious violence" and he should have been "seeking to look after" the woman, who they were "concerned" might have had a serious illness at the time.