Hartlepool man threatened to burn down businessman's home over a debt, hears Teesside Crown Court

Ashley Griffiths, 32, from Hartlepool, turned up at the man’s takeaway premises saying that he had taken on the debt and that he had 48 hours to pay it off.

He threatened that he knew “bigger people” who could get the money, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The proprietor said he would call the police before Griffiths warned him against doing that, said prosecutor Ellen Wright.

Griffiths told him: “If you call the police I know where you live and I’ll burn the place down.”

Ms Wright said that Griffiths confronted the proprietor at the Thornaby takeaway on December 7, 2020, adding: “Griffiths told him that he owed someone he knew money and that he had 48 hours too pay it.

“Griffiths said that he had taken on the debt that was owed to his friend and that he knew bigger people that could get the money.”

Ms Wright said that he was there for 30 minutes making threats.

Rebecca Brown, defending, said in mitigation that the Probation Service suggested that Griffiths, who had five convictions for 10 offences, could be deal with by rehabilitation activities and unpaid work.

She said that he had lost several jobs when employers became aware of his pending prosecution.

Judge Deborah Sherwin handed him a community punishment but stressed he would be resentenced if he failed to keep to the requirements.

Griffiths of Mountbatten Close, was sentenced to a 15-month community order, 120 hours of unpaid work and 14 days of rehabilitation activities requirements after he pleaded guilty to using threatening words and behaviour.