Lisburn judge imposes suspended prison sentence on man who sent threatening text message
A man has been given a five-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for sending a threatening text message.
Darren John Lavery, 34, whose address was given as Yew Tree Walk in Dunmurry, appeared before Lisburn Magistrates Court on Thursday, April 3, charged with sending menacing messages via electronic communications network.
The court heard that on February 9, 2024, police received a report from the victim saying that he had received a text from a mobile he knew to belong to the defendant.
The message was said to be of a threatening nature relating to money the defendant thought he was owed by the victim but the injured party said that was not the case.
Defence told the court: “He struggles with serious mental health issues. He doesn’t have a record for this kind of behaviour.”
District Judge Rosie Watters imposed a custodial sentence of five months, suspended for two years.