'Snitches get stitches': Man jailed for threatening to burn down house
A bully who threatened to burn down the home of a couple after they reported seeing him pulling a girl by the hair has been jailed for eight months.
They were terrified when Reece Johnson called at the address the next day and warned: 'Snitches get stitches – I am going for the boys,' Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
The 21-year-old added before leaving 'you don't know who you are messing with.'
Mr Paul Mytton, prosecuting, continued: "He reappeared outside the property with three or four other young men, spitting and calling them names. He threatened to fire bomb their home and made a gesture with his fingers as if firing a gun."
One of the couple later told police: "I am terrified of what he might do and am concerned for my family."
Officers found Johnson at the home of his mother on September 12, ten days after the confrontation.
He was arrested but the woman allegedly involved in the incident witnessed by the couple in Wentbridge Way, Portobello, later retracted her statement, the court heard. The matter was not proceeded with.
Johnson from Brunslow Close, Oxley, who had a previous conviction for witness intimidation, initially denied threatening the couple but later admitted the offence.
Mr Philip Vollans, defending, maintained: "He suffers from ADHD and depression, but had run out of medication.
"He lost his front teeth in a motorbike accident and the false ones fell out while he was talking to them. He became very embarrassed and snapped. It was not his intention to carry out the threats."
