Blackpool man who sent chilling messages threatening to stab his ex girlfriend in neck jailed in Preston
A spurned lover who stalked his former partner despite two court orders banning him from contacting her has been sent to jail.
And Jon Luc Howson was advised by a judge in Preston to finally accept the “turbulent” six-year relationship is over when he is eventually released from prison.
The 27-year-old from Blackpool pleaded guilty to two charges of stalking and also breaching a restraining order when he appeared at Crown Court for sentence.
Recorder Kevin Slack sent him to prison for a total of 15 months after hearing he had sent numerous “deeply unpleasant” emails to his ex-girlfriend which had made her fear for her safety.
In one he threatened to stab her in the neck, together with a man he accused her of sleeping with.
All the messages sent to the woman were in breach of a court order prohibiting him from making any contact.
Recorder Slack told him: “You need to know that when a court makes an order such as this you need to abide by it. And if you choose to deliberately flout the order you will be punished for it.”
Prosecuting barrister Ellie McManus told the court Howson, of Somerset Avenue, Blackpool, and the woman had been together for six years and had a child together, but the relationship had been turbulent at times with him being verbally aggressive towards her.
In October 2023 he was convicted of a number of drugs offences and given a suspended prison sentence. He was also accused of sending threatening messages to the woman and put on bail with a condition not to contact her.
In April this year he got in contact with her via email, which she reported to the police. But he continued to send messages “grinding her down.”
She explained to him that the relationship was over, but he responded with an abusive message accusing her of sleeping with another man. The following day she received more messages “putting her in fear of violence.”
Ms McManus said one of the messages said: “Don’t be silly enough to think I wouldn’t stab people in the head, neck and throat.” And he added: “I will stab you both in the neck.” As a result Howson was arrested.
The court heard his behaviour followed a pattern. “He would be loving and caring and speak to her as normal,” said Ms McManus. “But if he didn’t get his own way, or if she didn’t reply to him he would become abusive and aggressive.
“The threats made to her made her feel scared. She knew the defendant can be violent.
“She wishes to separate herself from the defendant while still allowing him to make contact with their child.”
In May Howson was made the subject of a restraining order prohibiting from contacting her, apart from reasons involving the child. Soon after she received another email from the same email address saying: “Can’t wait to see you.” There was a further message which had a smiling face emoji.
In another email he told her: “I don’t care if you have moved on, I have moved on myself.” And in yet another he said: “I’m not concerned about your relationship with this dude.”
Ms McManus told the court: “These emails were upsetting. It made her feel like he didn’t care about the restraining order and if she saw him in public she would come to serious harm.
“They put her in fear of violence, despite there not being a direct threat and that the (his) behaviour will escalate.”
The court heard that the first set of malicious emails which put her in fear of violence were in breach of the suspended sentence he had received in October 2023. The second batch were in breach of the restraining order.
The woman had told her barrister that she had suffered a great deal of stress and anxiety reporting him to the police for the first time. But every time he made threats it impacted on her.
“I believe he won’t hurt me, but I can’t be certain of this,” she said. And she told how the experience had impacted her work.
“I wish to be left alone so I can live, work and carry on with my life.”
She said the relationship had “eroded my self esteem and trusting people again. It will take years to overcome this.”
When questioned by police in April Howson made no comment. In another interview in June he denied the allegations and accused his ex-partner of fabricating the emails. The email address, he said, did not belong to him.
Julie Taylor, defending, told Recorder Slack: “This is a difficult case (to sentence) because there is a huge risk of double-counting.” She said there had been an “overlap” between the two sets of offences.
“Threats to stab in the neck are very unpleasant, (but) he has never struck or been violent to this victim. This was a relationship which was breaking down. He wanted to see his son and that’s why he breached the order.”
She said Howson had been the victim of physical and mental abuse as a child and that had had an impact on this own mental health.
“It (the communication) was over a 48-hour period. It was messages over the phone, it was not actual contact or violent contact.”
Howson admitted one charge of stalking with fear of violence in April, one count of stalking without fear of violence (June) and breaching a restraining order.
Recorder Slack told Howson: “The effect on your victim was profound. It is understandable she thought that this (restraining) order was not going to protect her at all.”
But he said that while distress had been caused and while the messages were deeply unpleasant “it was not very serious distress.”
He sentenced him to eight months for stalking with fear of violence, seven months consecutive for breaching the restraining order and one month concurrent for stalking without fear of violence.
And he advised Howson: “When you are released you will accept this relationship is over.”