Knifeman in threat to blow up house with ex and children

Mum and family’s terrifying ordeal

A TERRIFIED mum barricaded herself and three youngsters in a bedroom after her ex-partner broke in and threatened to blow up the house.

Violent Jake Jorden smashed his way in, punched her face and armed himself with two large kitchen knives when high on drink and drugs.

He was jailed for two years. The judge said it was a “truly dreadful” way to treat the mother of his 10-month-old baby.

Jorden also turned a knife on himself and sliced his cheek and arms in front of police officers during a stand-off that followed in New Ashby Road, Loughborough, in the early hours of Sunday, July 12.

With his ex-girlfriend and her three children captive, the 30-yearold defendant also threatened to “light the place up” with petrol, said Lisa Hardy, prosecuting at Leicester Crown Court.

Jorden – who formerly used the surname Jordan – of Leicester Road, Mountsorrel, admitted affray and causing actual bodily harm to his expartner.

Jorden, who had been in a twoyear relationship with the victim, took umbrage when she blocked him on social media.

He made a 2am visit to her semidetached home demanding to be let in to confront her about it, but she refused.

After more than an hour of trying to get in he threw a rock through a glass front door panel.

Miss Hardy said the frightened complainant made a silent 999 call and was traced by the police, who attended 10 previous calls for help since January 2019.

Jorden punched the victim in the face and grabbed her throat, causing bruising and swelling.

She fell over and cut her knee on broken glass.

Jorden followed her into the kitchen and grabbed two knives with nine-inch blades and, during a struggle, recklessly cut two of her fingers.

When their 10-month baby began crying, she went upstairs to the child and he followed, with the knives, having deliberately cut himself.

He threatened to “blow the house up” and refused to let her leave.

Miss Hardy said: “She thought as long as she had the baby in her arms he was less likely to hurt her.”

She ended up using a doll’s house to barricade herself into a bedroom, with her two other children, aged three and five.

Meanwhile, the defendant, still armed with knives, was leaning out an upstairs window, in a stand-off with the police, refusing to come out.

Miss Hardy said: “By 4.15am he was saying he would start a fire with petrol and was refusing to engage with officers and insisting he would only talk to a sergeant.” When the sergeant arrived he cut his own cheek, saying: “This is for you.”

The victim and her three children were allowed to leave at 4.50am.

The defendant surrendered at just before 6.30am.

Judge Philip Head said: “It was a terrifying ordeal for the mother of one of your children in her own home with her two other children present and they were affected by it.

“You have 20 previous convictions, including a number for violence.

“I acknowledge you suffer from mental health difficulties but you were making it worse by drinking and taking drugs.

“Sober, you can now see what you did was truly dreadful.”

Paul Prior, mitigating, said that having kept out of trouble between 2012 and 2019, the defendant’s mental health spiralled following family bereavements, leading to depression and alcohol consumption.

Jorden was injured in a road accident which then put him out of work.

When his relationship with the complainant ended, Jorden found it hard to accept “as he thought it was all he had left,” said Mr Prior, who added: “He’s remorseful.”

Jorden was placed on a three-year restraining order banning contact with the victim or going to the road where she lives.