Laughing at the law, mother spared jail after crying in the dock
GRINNING triumphantly, this is a serial criminal moments after she was spared jail by a judge who had seen her crying in the dock.
Natalie Ashworth, 32, was facing prison after she threatened to have a terrified neighbour shot unless he dropped assault and damage charges against her.
Instead, the mother-of-two was given 12 months’ jail suspended for two years after Judge John Potter saw her distress and allowed her to sit throughout the hearing.
The case comes after the Daily Mail highlighted the scandal of Britain’s soft justice last month. More than 620,000 hardened criminals with at least ten previous convictions were spared jail despite committing new offences in the past five years.
Ashworth has 20 previous convictions including public order offences, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard.
In June, she fell out with neighbour David Shepley and during a row near their homes
‘She threatened to have neighbour shot’
in Reddish, Stockport, beat him up and smashed his mobile phone, the court was told. But events took ‘a more sinister turn’, said Michael Goldwater, prosecuting.
A neighbour heard Ashworth shout that Mr Shepley should drop the charges ‘or you will get shot’, the court heard.
‘Mr Shepley says he is very frightened and this has had a profound effect on him,’ Mr Goldwater said.
Ashworth’s lawyer William Donnelly asked for a suspended sentence, saying she was getting help for alcohol problems.
Judge Potter said: ‘It seems to me that you are moving away from your problems with alcohol in a safe environment and your offending will be likely reduced.’
Ashworth, who admitted intimidating a witness, was banned from contacting Mr Shepley by a restraining order. She faces trial for the assault and damage charges at a magistrates’ court later this week.