A three-year sentence was today (Tuesday) handed to a 38-year old Belfast man who threatened to kill his ex-partner and two of her relatives.
Imposing the sentence upon James Samuel Clarke, Judge Gordon Kerr KC told him that he will serve half the term in prison following by the same period on licence when he is released from custody.
Belfast Crown Court heard the threats to kill were issued by Clarke last February and that he had a history of domestic offences against the same woman. On February 16, 2024 the injured party contacted the PSNI to inform them that her ex-partner Clarke was at her home banging windows.
When police arrived they observed Clarke, from Edenvale Crescent, being detained by members of the public on the ground. As officers took over, Clarke spat blood at a constable which landed on the officer’s uniform. During his arrest he resisted a second constable by refusing to put his hands out to be cuffed.
Police also spoke to the injured party who said Clarke had threatened to kill her which Judge Kerr said “left her terrified”. The injured party’s father and sister were also present and he threatened to kill them too.
Judge Kerr said he had received and read statements made by both the injured party and her sister which he said “set out the fear they felt as a result of the threats that were made to them”.
The Judge added the threats were “significant” as Clarke has 45 previous convictions including several prior violent assaults against his now ex-partner which were issued just one week after Clarke had been released from prison. Following his arrest, Clarke gave a ‘no comment’ responses and claimed he couldn’t remember due to his alcohol intake.
Despite this stance, he subsequently pleaded guilty to three charges of issuing a threat to kill, one count of assaulting police and one count of resisting police. Judge Kerr said he had considered defence submissions made on behalf of Clarke which set out his issues with alcohol and drugs. Also noted were the steps Clarke is now taking to address these issues and the fact he is now in a new relationship.
Clarke also told Probation he had ‘moved on’ with Judge Kerr saying this indicated he was “no longer obsessed, which he appears to have been in the past, with the victim in this case”.
The Judge added: “In this case, it’s quite clear that over an extended and long period the victim has had to put up with his criminal, violent behaviour.”
Citing domestic incidents as “offending which requires immediate custodial sentences,” Judge Kerr handed Clarke a three-year sentence for the threats to kill.
Further sentences of three months for the assault on police and one month for resisting police were imposed which will concurrently with each other but consecutive to the three years imposed for the threat charges.
In addition, Judge Kerr imposed three restraining orders which ban Clarke from contacting his ex-partner for seven years, and prohibit him from contacting her father or sister for five years.
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English (United States) ·