Manchester Evening News

‘I’ll get my brothers to come down and shoot you’

WOMAN’S THREAT TO NEIGHBOURS INVOLVED IN DISPUTE WITH HER FRIEND ENDS IN COURT APPEARANCE

- By KIT VICKERY newsdesk@men-news.co.uk @MENnewsdes­k

A SUBWAY sandwich shop worker has been ordered to do unpaid work after she told two women she would get her brothers to shoot them.

David Morgan, prosecutin­g, told the court the incident occurred when Joanne Downes visited her friend’s home in Radcliffe on September 16 last year.

The 47-year-old had spent the evening with her friend in an attempt to cheer her up, taking her out to dinner before heading to the Radcliffe home to pick up some personal items so the woman could stay with her that night.

Mr Morgan said: “Her friend had had a conflict with some of her neighbours, which resulted in comments being exchanged online.

“The defendant took matters into her own hands and knocked on several doors before speaking to the two claimants, Kayley Anderson and Linda Wood, asking about the online statements.

“She then made threats to hit them with a baseball bat and get her brothers down to shoot them, before opening the boot of her car as if she was going to retrieve something.”

Both women were left frightened by the threats, and called the police, who arrested Downes at the scene.

Suzanne Dooley, defending Downes, said the recently divorced woman was full of regret over her actions, and had not even returned to the street to avoid any further disputes.

She added: “This is a lady of good character, she lost that today.

“These proceeding­s have caused her a great deal of stress because it’s completely out-of-character how she behaved.

“The reason why she became involved is that her friend, who lives on the same close as these victims, had been harassed by these two victims for a long time - she actually moved away front the area and in with the defendant to get away.

“She went round to ask them to give her friend a break but matters escalated, and it’s something that she bitterly regrets.”

A probation report determined that Downes had attempted to help her friend who was “being bullied” by the victims of her threats, after the “particular­ly vulnerable” woman and family members asked for her to intervene.

The situation escalated, and both sides were reportedly shouting and swearing at each other before the threats were made.

Downes, of Hinchley Way, Swinton, was sentenced at Wigan and Leigh Magistrate­s Court on Monday after pleading guilty to a Section 4 public order offence.

Chief Magistrate Mary-Liz Walker sentenced Downes to 150 hours of unpaid work, allowing her to carry out her punishment whilst remaining in employment.

She said: “Firstly when we’ve looked at this case, the charge and the circumstan­ces, we’ve found that this falls into a section one offence with severity, high culpabilit­y, and high risk of harm.

“What aggravated this offence is your intent to cause fear of serious violence, although mitigating factors that show the incident was isolated and of short duration, you have no previous conviction­s, and you are a person of norable character have been taken into account.

“Having considered all the elements we are going to impose a medium level community order, that order will run for 12 months and will require you to carry out unpaid work.”

Downes has also been ordered to paid a £95 victim surcharge, and £85 towards prosecutio­n costs.

 ??  ?? Joanne Downes
Joanne Downes

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom