Killer threatened a young mum

A CONVICTED killer who bombarded a vulnerable young mother with text messages threatening ‘you’re going to die very soon’ has been jailed.

Alan Hardy, of Tanpits Road, Church, met the 20-year-old victim at Royal Blackburn Hospital’s Hillside Unit and they became friends over two days, a court heard.

The pair left the mental health facility on July 11 this year and Hardy got hold of her mobile phone number before bombarding her with a ‘stream of offensive text messages’ on July 13.

Prosecutor Stephen Parker told Burnley Crown Court how Hardy had previously served eight years in prison following a conviction for manslaughter in 2005.

He also had other convictions for robbery, affray and possession of a bladed article.

One of the text messages sent to the victim read: “One victim’s already dealt with and that’s your fault.

“You’re going to die very soon”.

Another said: “Do you honestly think I’m not going to do anything?

“You think you can block me on WhatsApp?

“You’ve pushed me to the edge.

“I’m a nice lad and you’re seriously going to regret ignoring me.”

Mr Parker said the messages caused ‘distress’ to the victim and when Hardy was arrested at a house in Accrington the next day he was ‘drunk and unpredictable’.

Hardy, 31, pleaded guilty to putting a person in fear of violence by harassment.

He was jailed for 19 months and given an indefinite restraining order.

Stuart Kaufman, defending, said Hardy is ‘ashamed’ of his actions and has ‘abandonment issues and a personality disorder’.

He told the court: “He feels he was attention seeking rather than having any intention to carry out the threats she was ignoring.

“He is quite a damaged person himself.

“His motivation while in drink was to attract her attention and see if he could rekindle whatever relationship they had.”

Judge Andrew Jefferies said there was ‘no suggestion’ Hardy was about to act on his threats.

Sentencing, he said: “I don’t know what she was told by you of your previous convictions.

“She must have been terrified by those messages, not just their tone and content but the repeated nature of them throughout the day.

“The harm that’s caused is significant.”