'I'm going to smash your face in': Heartbroken grandad made vile threats to ex wife and new partner

Over a six-day period Andrew Michael Dawson sent several vile messages and called his ex wife and her partner in Leeds. He even took a photo of the man’s parents’ home and sent it over Facebook with the chilling words: “Found you.”

Leeds Crown Court heard that Dawson and his wife had been in a relationship for around 15 years and married for four. She ended the relationship in February last year and began a relationship with the new man, which angered Dawson.

On March 8, 2022, he sent the house photo to his ex wife on Facebook. He phoned her the next day and said he wanted to fight her partner. He said: “Meet me tonight or all your windows are going through.”

Two days later 53-year-old Dawson sent a text message to the man which read: “If you want to stop trouble coming to your mum and dad’s door, kick the tramp out. It’s the only way to stop you getting battered.”

He also messaged the woman, telling he would do “everything in his power” to have her thrown out by her new partner. In subsequent days he sent messages telling her that her man will “get what he deserves” then said he was “going to smash his face in”.

Following his arrest, he admitted sending some threats and messages. He has 32 previous convictions for 82 offences. He admitted two counts of sending communications conveying a threat and one of threatening to damage property.

Mitigating, Christopher Dunn, said: “He tells me he never intended to carry out these threats. They were idle threats born out of hurt and humiliation. He behaved entirely out of character.”

He said Dawson, of Upper Commercial Street, Birstall, was a groundsworker who has worked for the same company for 11 years and is a “well-loved” son and grandfather.

Judge Andrew Stubbs KC: “I can understand you were heartbroken but you behaved in a really horrible, nasty and threatening way. It was all designed to upset the people you were targeting.”

He gave him a 12-month community order, a 90-day alcohol abstinence order, 100 hours of unpaid work and a five-year restraining order.