Evicted Leeds ex made stabbing threats over belongings and his dad's ashes
A furious ex partner who was evicted from his home made threats to the woman and threatened to “shiv” her alleged new partner.
Stephen Brownswords left voice notes demanding his belongings back, including his father’s issues, but his anger boiled over into rage.
The voice messages were played to Leeds Crown Court during a sentencing hearing this week in which he admitted sending threatening communications and threats with a knife, following a separate incident at a guest house in Leeds.
Brownsword had been in a relationship with his partner for 17 years but it came to an end in 2023, prosecutor Matthew Stewart said.
She left because of his domestic abuse, including incidents when he stabbed her with fork and strangled her.
But because the tenancy from their home was in her name, he was evicted on October 6 this year, leading to tension.
He repeatedly contacted her from Facebook Messenger and began leaving voice messages about his belongings.
Played to the court, the became increasingly menacing, calling her “spiteful” and “horrible”, before making threats to her and her alleged new boyfriend.
In one message, the 33-year-old said: “It’s not my fault what’s going to happen to you.”
He added: “Until I get my stuff I’m going to keep harassing you. Keep playing your f****** games. I will be getting my stuff one way or another.”
In reference to what he suspected was her new partner, Brownsword said: “I will come over and put a shiv through your jugular. Who the f*** do you think you are?”
He threatened to break his legs and pull his teeth out with pliers.
But while staying at Avalon Guest House in Hyde Park on October 18, Brownsword got into an argument and chased a man with a Stanley knife, slashing at him as he ran.
Brownsword, formerly of Woodsley Road, Woodhouse, has 10 previous convictions for 17 offences, included possession of weapons.
Mitigating, Andrew Petterson said Brownsword accepted jail “was inevitable”, but said he had been using his time on remand “constructively”.
The judge, Recorder Mark McKone KC, jailed him for 16 months and gave him a 10-year restraining order.