A MAN threatened to kill his friend’s former partner and bury him in a shed, magistrates heard.

Michael Donnelly, 42, threatened to kill Christopher Cooper and his pet dog during a phone call, after becoming angry that Mr Cooper had upset his friend.

Donnelly of Clyst Lane, Hereford, pleaded guilty to sending by telephone an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message.

Rob Perry, prosecuting at Hereford Magistrates Court, said Mr Cooper had been in a relationship with the defendant’s friend up to one year prior to the incident.

Although they lived separately Mr Cooper and his former partner continued to talk and met up on occasions.

Mr Cooper had exchanged emails with his former partner which had developed into an argument.

At 9am on December 18, Mr Cooper received two missed calls and he heard a male voice which said: “Stop trying to see my friend, I will come down and kill you and your dog and bury you in that small shed near to your house.”

Mr Cooper didn’t recognise the voice and contacted his former partner but she didn’t have any knowledge of the caller. He reported it to police who identified Donnelly as the owner of the phone which called him.

When interviewed, Donnelly accepted making the phone call but not the comments on it and he said that there weren’t any threats made.

Emma Thorne, mitigating, said that the defendant didn’t recall all of what was said in the phone call.

“It was a very short call of between 20 and 30 seconds and he accepts that he might have said these things,” said Mrs Thorne.

She said on December 19, Donnelly said he had received a call from his friend who was crying down the phone as she said she had had another argument with Mr Cooper. He said: “Leave it with me.” Magistrates accepted this was a ‘one off’. He was handed a six month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £200 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.