A REJECTED boyfriend who threatened to slit his former partner’s throat as she slept after she dumped him has been jailed.

Gareth Williams made two chilling warnings to his victim following her complaint to the police over an alleged assault and aggravated vehicle taking by him.

Jason Howells, prosecuting, told Newport Crown Court how the couple were in a short-term relationship over the summer before the woman ended it.

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Judge Richard Williams heard how Williams had exhibited some “strange behaviour” over the course of their time together.

Mr Howells said that, while Williams was on police bail while the allegations of common assault and aggravated vehicle taking were investigated, he made two menacing calls to his victim.

The first, Mr Howells said, contained the threat: “You’ve got a killing coming to you.”

This was after he had called her to ask her how she was before the woman told him to stop contacting her.

The next day he called her again and told her: “I am going to come up to yours when you are sleeping and slit your throat.”

Mr Howells added: “The complainant was alarmed, anxious and scared due to the unpredictability of the defendant’s behaviour.”

Williams, aged 29, of Coed Duon View, Pentwynmawr, Newbridge, pleaded guilty to two counts of witness intimidation which were made on August 24 and 25.

Mr Howells told the court that the defendant had 14 previous convictions for 28 offences, including “similar matters against previous partners or family members”.

Jeffrey Jones, mitigating, said his client had entered guilty pleas at an early stage and “would never have carried out those threats”.

His barrister told the court how father-of-two Williams had been “embarrassed” after police had arrested the production operative at work during the initial investigation.

Mr Jones said the defendant had mental health problems and had suffered from drug and alcohol problems.

He added: “He regrets what he has done and had no intention of doing what he had threatened.”

Judge Williams told the defendant, who appeared in court via video link from Cardiff Prison, that offences like witness intimidation were “an attack on the integrity of the justice system”.

He said: “The victim felt you had the capacity to carry out the threats. It has left her feeling fearful for her own safety.”

The judge jailed him for 18 months.

Williams was also made the subject of a restraining order for five years and he must pay a victim surcharge upon his release from prison.

Outside the court, the officer leading on the case, Detective Constable Rhodri Parry, said: “We welcome this prison sentence and the result for the victim.

"We work robustly to tackle incidents of this nature and would encourage anyone who is suffering from this type of crime to contact us and seek help.”