A CHARD man who left his partner terrified after sending her a photo of a knife with the chilling message “Die ****” has been jailed for 16 weeks.

Darren Michael Bennett sent a torrent of threatening messages to the victim after she told him she wanted to end their relationship.

When she fled the house and went to a nearby pub, he sent her the picture of the knife with a curved blade along with the messages, including another one saying: “Someone will die because of you”.

Soon after he sent her a video message of himself standing outside the pub that she was inside so the police were called and he was arrested.

However, when he was interviewed by police, he claimed he thought he had sent the messages to somebody else and did not mean for his partner to receive them, although accepted having the knife.

Bennett, 35, of Holyrood Street, was brought before Somerset Magistrates in custody where he pleaded guilty to a charge that on November 28 last year at Chard he was in possession of a knife.

A further allegation of sending malicious messages was withdrawn when the complainant failed to turn up for a scheduled trial after the defendant had denied it.

Prosecutor Ben Winzer said that the couple were at their home in Chard when Bennett started making threats towards his partner and she said she wanted to end their relationship.

She waited until Bennett was asleep and then grabbed some personal items and left, going to the Phoenix Hotel, but at 10.30pm she started receiving multiple messages from the defendant.

“They were all of a threatening nature but the defendant did not accept sending them to the victim and thought they were going to somebody else,” he said.

“Then he sent a picture of a knife, which he was later found in possession of, with the message “Die ****” and “Someone will die because of you. I know where you are”.

“He then set further messages saying “You’re dead, I will cut any of you ****ers”.”

Shortly before midnight Bennett sent the victim a video message of himself standing outside the Phoenix public house and she then called the police.

Officers arrived at the scene and found the defendant, who was in possession of a mobile phone and put him in handcuffs. He told them he had the knife for his own protection and it was in his trouser pocket.

He made a prepared statement to the police saying he was in a relationship with the victim but it was violent due to her alcohol addiction.

“He said he heard her talking to another male about setting him up so he sent a number of texts to the male but did not deliberately send them to his partner,” said Mr Winzer.

“He said he thought the other person was inside the pub but admitted sending the picture of the knife and the video of him standing outside.”

Defending solicitor Neil Priest said Bennett had been on remand in custody for the past eight weeks and while in prison he had managed to detox from diazepam.

He said the defendant was a man of previous good character and had been dealing with long standing problems that his partner had and was her official carer.

“An argument ensued that night and his partner left the premises and the alcohol had a very bad effect on him,” he said.

“He feared his partner had been colluding with a drug dealer behind his back….my client feared he was going to be assaulted badly and had no wish to threaten or frighten the complainant.

“He wants to be sentenced so he can put matters behind him.”

Chair of the magistrates, Susan Coates, told Bennett that carrying a knife was a very serious offence and said they had no option other than to give him a custodial sentence.

They sentenced him to 16 weeks in prison and ordered him to pay a £115 victim surcharge and £85 costs on his release.

They said the days he had spent on remand would count towards his sentence and he could expect to be released soon.