Woman threatened to burn down Leeds nursery and slit staff members' throats after getting the sack

Stacey Gibson was locked up for 18 months after making threats to burn down Pebbles Nursery and Pre-School in Nunroyd Park, Yeadon.

Leeds Crown Court heard Gibson also sent messages to staff threatening to slit their throats.

The offending took place almost a year after Gibson lost her job as a nursery practitioner at the nursery.

Bashir Ahmed, prosecuting, said Gibson had worked there for two years until she was dismissed for gross misconduct in December 2018.

Gibson, 29, sent a Facebook message to her former manager 11 months later threatening to burn down the nursery and slit staff members' throats.

She also sent a GIF of a female making a throat slitting motion with a knife.

Another GIF was sent of a male shooting a gun with the caption '#I will kill you'.

Gibson sent a final message saying: "I will burn it down."

Gibson was given a conditional discharge with conditions to stay away from the nursery and not to contact staff.

Four days later she sent her former manager around 20 more messages saying she wanted to kill her,

One message included the words: "I will kill you one way or another. I have a knife ready in my pocket. You will die."

Gibson also stated that she was outside the nursery with a knife.

The defendant was interviewed but refused to comment.

She was bailed with conditions not to contact the nursery or its staff.

Gibson then sent 23 messages to another former colleague at the nursery.

The offending led to there being a police presence at the nursery.

In a statement to the court, the manager said: "No parent wants to send their child to a place where it is surrounded by police due to any crime or danger.

"If this continues, we will not have a nursery."

The victim also said had felt anxious and distressed.

Gibson, of Redwood Way, Yeadon, pleaded guilty to two counts of making threats to kill and one count of sending malicious communications.

She has no previous convictions.

Gibson was assessed by a doctor as having a borderline personality disorder made worse by alcohol and drug abuse.

Eddison Flint, mitigating, said Gibson has a history of mental health issues and self-harm.

He said Gibson managed to get a new job in 2019 but became unemployed again.

Mr Flint said the offending began when the defendant was told she was to be evicted from her home.

He said: "That downward spiral was aggravated by the fact she lived near the nursery and liked going to Nunroyd Park to get away from the world."