A FORMER north Cumbrian soldier who threatened to kill his mother and stab his partner in the throat has been spared an immediate jail term.

The judge who sentenced 53-year-old Wigton man Steven Graham drew back from imposing custody after hearing that the defendant’s mental health was affected by the death of his wife two years ago and his Army experience.

This had involved Graham being captured by an enemy and tortured. The defendant, of Highfield Court, Wigton, admitted an affray offence and harassment of his mother.

Prosecutor Daniel Bramhall told Carlisle Crown Court that the defendant’s harassment of his mother happened over four days, and consisted largely of threatening phone calls.

In the first angry phone call, on January 7, Graham told his mother he wished she was dead. “At 10pm,” said the barrister, “[the defendant’s mother] took an incoming call from the defendant, who was shouting at her down the phone.

“He was saying he would kill her; and that he was going to rip his brother’s head off.” Graham’s mother was left petrified. After taking advice from the police, she blocked her son’s number.

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But on January 10 the defendant used somebody else’s phone to call her again and she answered thinking it was his partner.

Mr Bramhall said: “He was shouting down the phone, saying she’d ruined his life; he threatened to kill her and to kill an individual called Alan.”

The victim said her son’s behaviour had deteriorated and he was not engaging with the mental health services. She was living in fear of her own son and feared for her safety, said Mr Bramhall.

“She didn’t want him anywhere near her until he’s sorted out his issues with drink or drugs,” said Mr Bramhall.

Outlining the second offence, the barrister said it happened on January 11 after the defendant and his girlfriend watched a film and they argued.

The disagreement escalated, with the defendant saying to her that she was just like his mother and insulting her. He then put his hands around her neck and said that he would snap her gullet.

Pushing her against a radiator, he pulled a kitchen implement – a knife or a potato peeler - out of a drawer and pressed it against her neck. “He said he would put it in her neck and cut her artery,” said Mr Bramhall.

In a victim statement, the woman said she felt sorry for the people around Graham. His behaviour was unpredictable, and he was a fantasist.

When interviewed by the police, Graham said it was the woman who grabbed the knife and he took it from her.

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Sean Harkin, defending, said the defendant could achieve stability. Graham had accepted he committed both offences while in drink and he recognised that he needed help from the Probation Service.

While in jail over the last five months, Graham had sought help from the prison’s drugs and alcohol team and he wanted to remain abstinent, said Mr Harkin. “He’s motivated to get back to the world of work,” added the lawyer.

Recorder Mark Ainsworth said the case was highly unusual in that the defendant had served in the Army, been captured and tortured by an enemy, and he had lost his wife two years ago.

“It’s easy to see why he was under stress,” said the judge. “While on active service you suffered and were involved in a number of difficult experiences, not least the occasion when you were captured and tortured by an enemy.

“Clearly, one can see how that incident had an impact on your mental health and when you left the Army you were married and in 2020 your wife passed away.”

After the death of his wife, Graham had stayed alcohol free. The defendant’s behaviour towards his mother clearly went beyond a simple family argument, including as it did repeated threats to his mother.

“We can only sympathise with her for having to endure such abuse from her son,” said the judge. Of his behaviour towards his partner, when he held an implement to her throat, Recorder Ainsworth said this must have been terrifying.

Yet in her victim statement, the woman had not only described her feelings but also expressed concern for Graham’s mother and for him, saying that she hoped he would get the help he needed.

Had he not spent five months in custody, said the judge, it would have been his public duty to jail him. But the judge said he would take an exception course and give the defendant a chance to get the help he needs.

He imposed an 18-month community order, with 15 days of rehabilitation, a six-month alcohol treatment programme and 100 hours of unpaid work.

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