Mansfield man threatened to set dogs on two young mothers
A Mansfield man threatened to kill two young mothers when they asked him to control his dogs because they had small children, a court has heard.
Andrew Turner brandished his walking stick and screamed at the women as they walked along a path through woodland, on August 12, Becky Allsop, prosecuting, said.
"These dogs have the right to kill you, this is private property," the 57-year-old shouted. "My dogs will kill you. I will kill you. This is private property."
Phone footage taken by the women showed how frightened they were by his behaviour and how distressed their children were.
One of the women said she felt "weak and petrified" while trying to protect her son.
Turner later claimed the women were “acting out of proportion” and he had screamed “out of frustration.”
The court heard he has 25 previous convictions for 61 offences and was last in trouble in 2020 for driving matters.
Nichola Thorpe, mitigating, said: "He initially reacted when the women shouted at him. However, he accepts his behaviour was unacceptable. In hindsight he should have walked away.
“He lives alone with his dogs. There are gaps in his offending when he has been working. He detoxed from alcohol in prison. He does regret he acted the way he did.”
Turner, of Gunthorpe Court, Mansfield, admitted making threats to cause fear of unlawful violence on the day of his trial.
On Thursday, he received a ten-week sentence, suspended for 12 months, with ten rehabilitation days. He must pay £754 in costs and compensation.
“No wonder they were scared to death,” the presiding magistrate told him. “You should be ashamed of yourself."