A mum moved home and saw her children taken into care after she was targeted with threats and abuse, a court heard.
Thomas Arthur Crutchley, 54, now admits his four-month harassment of a mother in the wake of sexual allegations against her young son was “disgusting”.
The boy was accused of a sexual offence against another boy. The matter was investigated but no further action was taken.
Prosecutor David Crook said: “From that point the defendant then engaged in a course of conduct against the child’s mother.
“He saw her and threatened to cut her son’s throat, to stab her daughter and to burn her alive.”
He uttered these frightening remarks in front of the young daughter, who was visibly upset and asked her mum whether he would stab her.
The girl was later taken into care, Teesside Crown Court heard today.
Mr Crook said Crutchley made more threats saying the mum would have to move house, leaving her scared and intimidated.
He went to her home and smashed her windows, for which magistrates ordered him to pay compensation and a fine.
When a police officer went to warn him about his behaviour, he slammed the door in her face.
The court was told he continued to shout verbal abuse at the mum, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
The victim feared what Crutchley would do, moved home and her son was also taken into care.
She said she felt vulnerable, angry, devastated, depressed and distressed. She struggled to sleep and underwent counselling and therapy.
She was concerned for her children’s safety and restricted her activities as she feared seeing Crutchley again.
Crutchley, from Middlesbrough, reacted to his arrest with abusive names referring to the mother and her son.
He later admitted harassment putting a person in fear of violence between June and October last year.
He has now undergone a change in attitude to his crime, the court was told.
Graham Brown, defending, said: “He’s realised this sort of behaviour is unacceptable.
“It was obviously at a time of great emotional strain.”
He disputed that the mum’s children being taken into care or her house move were solely down to Crutchley’s actions.
He added there had been no trouble since last October.
Judge Peter Armstrong said the court could not pass comment on the sexual allegations as they had not been tried.
He said: “These matters always divide opinion.
“The courts realise that and do their best to deal with these matters in as calm a way as can be done.
“It caused such heightened emotion... that you decided and started to take it out on the mother of this child.
“You over-reacted and you describe your own behaviour as disgusting.
“It’s unlikely that anything like this will happen again. This is out of character for you.”
He gave Crutchley a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years with a year’s supervision.
Crutchley was given an indefinite restraining order banning him from assaulting, threatening, intimidating, contacting, approaching, harassing, alarming, distressing, molesting or communicating with three people, or damaging their property.
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