A man threatened to light his ex-girlfriend on fire after she broke up with him.
Gilson Paiva, 31, made repeated calls to his former partner, her mum and her friend after she broke off their 12-year relationship.
During the 'nasty' campaign of harassment, he threatened to pour petrol on her and set her alight, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Paiva, of Gorton, then attended her house wearing a high-vis jacket and carrying a pair of pliers.
Her brother later found that he had cut her internet cable.
Pleading guilty to two offences of harassment, Paiva was handed a nine month sentence of imprisonment which was suspended for two years.
Prosecutor David Toal told the court that the offences took place between October 9 and October 14 last year.
“The defendant is a Portuguese national and he and his partner were in a relationship from 2007,” Mr Toal said.
“She would describe the relationship as turbulent, with the defendant being verbally abusive after periods of excessive drinking.
“In 2019 the complainant ended the relationship shortly after the defendant attended her home address, banged on the front door before striking the rear window with a set of metal ladders.
“The police were called and the defendant was arrested and on June 4 2019 he was sentenced to a 12 month conditional discharge for a public order offence and was issued with a restraining order for 12 months.”
Following this, the relationship appeared to stabilise and everything appeared normal until October 10, it was said.
At around 12pm, Paiva called his ex-partner's mother and stated: “I’m going to kill you because you do not allow her to allow me back into the house.”
She hung up and he later called again on a private number, where he told her: “Your days to be alive are counted.”
He continued to make repeated calls until the early hours of October 11, the court heard.
“At 11pm, he called his daughter, his partner answered and he seemed under the influence of alcohol, issuing threats stating: “Don’t worry. I am going to buy petrol. I am going to light a fire on you and kill you,” Mr Toal said.
“She did not believe that was serious. On October 12 the defendant called a friend of his former partner.
“At around 8pm she received a 12 minute call where the defendant made a number of serious threats and he asked her to pass them on to his former partner.
“He said: 'I will light a fire on her alive; she is going to die. I am going to buy petrol and light her on fire; we are going to die together; tell her that I am going to light a fire on her and in the house. She is going to die with fire on her body; I am going to kill her, her mum and everyone.
“He appeared to be drunk.”
A few days later, the woman’s brother was at her home address when he heard a noise outside.
“He opened the front door and saw the defendant wearing a high-vis jacket and a pair of pliers,” the prosecutor continued.
“He said 'tell your sister I have been here',” then he left the area.
“Her brother then quickly discovered her internet and TV were no longer working, went outside and found the cable had been cut.”
After being arrested and interviewed, Paiva denied making the threats and claimed his ex was lying.
He also said he was paying for the internet and other people in the house were using the WiFi he had paid for.
Paiva was said to have one previous conviction for a public order offence relating to the same complainant.
Speaking to the defence counsel, Recorder Ian Harris said: “I do think he needs assistance, it was nasty and it was designed to upset and cause distress.
“I really don’t like the severing of that cable, leaving someone to feel abandoned from the outside world.
“And those threats are particularly pernicious.”
Mitigating, Adrian Barrow said: “The background is plainly that he was at that stage in his life where he abused alcohol and he committed the offences in the way he did.
“Maybe you can see that his intention was not to maximise distress, though undoubtedly distress was caused.”
Sentencing Paiva, Recorder Harris told him: “You know your behaviour was disgraceful in that period.
“I have no idea what got in your mind to make these obscene and terrifying threats that were repeated.
“It seems something deep seated and horrible was disinhibited to make these awful threats.
“They must have been terrified.
“Regarding the cutting of the internet - it was creepy, especially when somebody finds themself cut off from the outside world.”
Paiva, of Lees Street, was also sentenced to an 18-month community order, 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and 100 hours unpaid work.
