Crack cocaine-ravaged woman threatened to burn down Leeds school and 'set fire to the kids'
A woman in the grip of crack-cocaine threatened to burn down a school and “set fire to pupils”.
Jenny Twomey had only been released from police custody when she tried to enter Temple Learning Academy in Halton. When she was stopped by staff she became aggressive, made the threats and swore at them.
The 31-year-old later went on to attack her ex partner with an eight-inch knife forcing him to flee from her home covered in blood.
Twomey was given a suspended sentence at Leeds Crown Court this week, having spent months on remand.
She appeared in court over a video link from HMP New Hall after admitting charges of threatening to damage property and Section 20 GBH without intent.
Prosecutor Graham O’Sullivan said Twomey had been released from West Yorkshire Police on December 13 last year.
She was at the Neville Road school at around lunchtime, but the headteacher and another member of staff refused her entry.
She became aggressive and kicked the entrance gate, calling one of the staff members a “f****** b****”.
Twomey told them: “I’m going to burn the school down. If I see any kid walk past me I will set them on fire.”
She then left in a taxi and was later arrested but gave a no-comment interview.
On the morning of June 19 this year, her ex partner was at her home on Carden Place in Halton. It was heard that despite her descent into drug addiction, he had been assisting her.
But she became angry with him after she began to go through his phone. She then took the knife out of a drawer and lunged at him, pinning him to the bed with her hand around his neck. She told him: “I will stab you and kill you.”
He suffered a laceration from the knife and cuts before he was able to escape and into the street, flagging down a passing police van.
The officer later said the man’s T-shirt had been covered in blood and he was “hysterical”.
Mitigating, Martin Morrow said Twomey had no previous convictions and had worked in the care sector up until last year when she became addicted to crack cocaine.
A doctor’s report suggested she was showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complicated further by her use of drugs.
Mr Morrow added: “She feels ashamed and disgusted by her behaviour. It has been a huge, salutary lessons for her.”
Judge Andrew Stubbs KC told her: “You were taking illegal drugs and that has led to your downfall. You were taking drugs in enormous quantities for some time.
“You issued vile threats to teachers and what you were going to do to the school.”
Referring to her ex partner, he added: “You turned against the person who was doing their level best to help you. It’s really sad.
“The help and support he was giving to you, and you were unable to accept it. Your behaviour was completely irrational. For him it was terrifying.”
He gave her a 14-month sentence, suspended for two years.
However, he imposed a long list of conditions, including a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement, 20 rehabilitation days with probation, a six-month GPS monitoring requirement, banned her from entering the Temple Learning Academy premises for two years and also handed her a residential requirement, meaning she must live at her address for the next two years.
He also gave her a five-year restraining order for her ex partner, stipulating that she can still contact him, but not approach him unless agreed.
Judge Stubbs warned her: “I make you this promise, if you breach this order in any way, you will be brought back to me.
“I have given you this chance, if you do not take it, I will lock you up.”