Northampton man who threatened to kill former girlfriend jailed for 20 months

Mark McCrudden, aged 35, threatened to kill a woman during a 15-minute long diatribe at a flat in Northampton on Christmas Eve last year.

Northampton Crown Court heard the woman managed to make an audio recording of McCrudden’s threats on her phone.

Recorder Sean Smith QC said he offence was aggravated by the fact a young toddler was also in the address at the time.

The court heard McCrudden was holding a six-inch kitchen knife when he told his girlfriend he would ‘cut her throat’ and kill her whole family.

Police arrested McCrudden at the address after the woman managed to text her brother and he called 999.

McCrudden was also in breach of a community order he was given in June last year after he admitted assaulting his former girlfriend by grabbing her round the throat and punching her in the face.

Recorder Smith said victims of this kind of threatening behaviour were entitled to protection from the courts.

He said: “I have no doubt this charge crosses the custodial threshold. I cannot overlook the severity of what you have done.”

McCrudden, of Weedon Road, Northampton, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for making threats to kill and two months, to be served concurrently, for breaching his community order.

He was also made subject of a restraining order banning him from contacting his former girlfriend.