A Workington man who damaged his ex’s “pride and joy” car and later tried to get her to drop her police complaint has been jailed.
Michael Jenkins, 22, phoned the woman twice in a temper on the morning of November 4.
In a first call Jenkins, of Coronation Drive, accused her of spray-painting his door, which she denied. In the second, he threatened to set her Ford Focus on fire.
After she called police but before officers arrived, Jenkins went to her house while armed with a brick which he hurled at her Focus.
“It hit the car on the bonnet and bounced off,” prosecutor Tim Evans told Carlisle Crown Court.
After being arrested and bailed, Jenkins learned of a £5,000 respray bill.
And, in Snapchat messages to the woman’s new partner, Jenkins stated: “I need you to get her to drop the charges on me. I’m not paying £5,000-worth of damage, bro. No chance.”
Jenkins later admitted charges of criminal damage and attempting to to pervert the course of justice.
“The car was very precious,” Mr Evans said of the victim impact. “Very much her pride and joy.”
Recorder Jeremy Lasker heard Jenkins had been out of trouble since 2018 but before then had violent offending on his record.
And, jailing him for seven months, Recorder Lasker said: “You are only 22 years of age but you do appear, from your antecedents, really to think that you can live outside the law and you have something of a violent character.”
