'I'm going to gut him like a fish' - Burton Latimer man's terrifying stab threats

A Burton Latimer man told his ex he would stab her and gut anybody she was dating like a fish.

Ryan Dickens sent his former partner terrifying messages and threatened to smash her windows two years after their relationship broke down.

His behaviour, which took place between August and November last year, left his ex close to a breakdown and struggling to sleep.

Yesterday (Monday) he was ordered to take part in rehabilitation activities after being spared from prison.

Northampton Crown Court heard Dickens, 41, and his ex had been in a relationship for 20 years and married for seven years until they separated in 2020.

Prosecutor David Lee told the court that Dickens’ ex, her neighbour and a friend invited people from a pub back to her house. But the next day Dickens called her and asked why there were men in his house.

He said: "You are all sl**s. They have no right to be in my house."

Dickens, now of Latimer Close, also turned up at his ex’s house and said he would smash her windows if she did not let him in.

The court heard he asked if she was dating someone, telling her: "I am going to stab him and gut him like a fish. I do not care about going to prison."

Dickens, who pleaded guilty to putting a person in fear of violence, went on to send his ex a terrifying message.

It said: "I am going to stab you and I'm going to stab him. Forget that, I'm just going to stab you."

Mr Lee said Dickens’ behaviour had a ‘serious impact’ on his victim and that she had to change her routine.

He said: "She felt close to having a breakdown and she could not sleep."

Dickens was arrested and gave no comment answers when he was first interviewed. In a second interview he said his ex was seeing someone who he disliked and that he wanted to continued to be married to her.

Mr Lee said: "He accepted making threats towards her but stated he would not have gone through with them."

The court heard Dickens was remanded in November and spent three days in custody before being released on bail with a tag, which he had worn ever since. Because a day wearing a tag counts as half a day in prison when it comes to time already served, it meant he had effectively already served half of what could have been an eight-month jail term.

Mitigating, William Forber-Heyward said Dickens suffers from depression and anxiety and wants to move forward with his life.

He added that he wants to move to Northampton to go into the catering industry and that he wants nothing more to do with his victim.

Mr Forber-Heyward said: "He should have walked away...he is deeply sorry for what he did."

Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking KC told Dickens that who his ex partner chose to socialise with after their break-up was nothing to do with him.

She said: "Your behaviour was completely unacceptable on a number of occasions."

Dickens was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He is banned from contacting his ex-partner for three years under a restraining order.