Man butted contractor’s car over “affair” with his wife

Colin Phillips, aged 44, “shattered” a door mirror and kicked and punched the scared motorist’s vehicle while swearing “I will kill you” during the chance encounter.

Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court heard the victim had not seen or heard from Phillips since 2017, when he had been contracted to do some fencing work.

Two weeks after the work had been completed, Phillips had sent a message to the complainant saying “I will kill you – you’ve been s******* my missus”.

Becky Allsop, prosecuting, described how after spotting the same workman in a queue of traffic in Alfreton on May 19 this year Phillips pulled up in his black Range Rover.

She said: “He was shouting and screaming ‘I will f****** kill you’. He punched the offside door window and the rear window and kicked the door in a fit of rage.

"He used his fists on the offside mirror, causing it to shatter and break off and headbutted the offside window.

"(The victim) said ‘he was full of anger towards me’ – there was a female with Phillips shouting at him to get back in the car. He got in and drove off.”

Ms Allsop said that during a police interview the victim said he had done some fencing work for Phillips in 2017.

She said: “Two weeks after completing the work, he received messages from Mr Phillips making threats and saying ‘you’ve been s******* my missus’.

Phillips, of Tennyson Street, Alfreton, admitted threatening behaviour and criminal damage.

David Gittins, mitigating, told the court: “The victim had an affair with this man’s wife – that led to a breakdown of the marriage for 10 months.

"There has been no contact since 2017, it was a chance meeting.”

Mr Gittins said the affair had been confirmed by Phillips’s wife, who was present in court.

Sentencing, District Judge Andrew Davison told him: “Your outburst was disgraceful – in any event a period of nearly five years had gone by since what your wife says happened.”

Phillips was jailed for 12 weeks, suspended for 12 months, given 15 rehabilitation activity days and ordered to pay £460 compensation.