Judge spares text threat ex from jail term (From Barry And District News)

Judge spares text threat ex from jail term

A BITTER wife who framed her husband by texting death threats to herself from his mobile phone has escaped a jail sentence.

Jennifer Harris, aged 52, of Lakin Drive, took a SIM card from her estranged husband David's old phone to send the threats to her own mobile.

One text to herself warned: "You'll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life."

Jennifer showed the messages to police who checked his phone records - and arrested innocent David for making threats to kill.

It took six months for Jennifer's plot to be uncovered, and last week a judge told her she was lucky not to be going to prison.

Judge Phillip Richards described it as a "very serious offence which would normally result in prison".

He said: "It is quite plain that a wholly innocent man was made the subject of allegations.

"When relationships break up there can be bitterness and that bitterness can lead people to behaving in a way they would not normally behave.

"It is very important that you do not behave in this way to David Harris again."

Jennifer was sentenced to a two-year community rehabilitation order with the condition that she get psychiatric help.

Her husband David, also 52, told police how she hatched the plan when the pair were going through a bitter divorce after 28 years together.

He said: "It was all because I wouldn't take her back.

"I've been through six months of sheer hell. I was arrested for the text messages and she was still going to the police and making false accusations against me."

Mother-of-two Jennifer drove from their former home in Barry to his new home in Wenvoe with his old SIM card (the chip which gives a mobile phone handset its identity).

As she sat near his house so the signal could be traced to his address, she put the card in her phone and sent herself four messages.

The next day, she showed the messages to police officers who arrested her husband on suspicion of making threats to kill. He then appeared in magistrates' court and crown court where he denied making threats against Jennifer.