Son sent dad threatening facebook messages (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Son sent dad threatening facebook messages

2:20pm Friday 13th April 2012 in News

A SON sent posted messages on Facebook threatening to burn his father's truck and allegedly confessing to another arson attack.

Craig and Ernie Nunn fell out a year earlier during a dispute over money, prosecutor Michael Aspinall told Worcester Crown Court.

There followed "a lot of antagonism" with accusations of favouritism from Ernie Nunn towards another son.

On February 29 this year one son told Mr Nunn senior about the arson messages in which Craig Nunn said he heard that his father was moving home.

Mr Aspinall said he wrote on the social networking site: "It saves me burning the scum out".

He also made what his father "took to be an admission" that he had burned a pick-up in October last year and threatened to "come and burn a further vehicle".

The offence of sending a threatening message breached a suspended jail sentence of 52 weeks imposed on Craig Nunn for dangerous driving during an 80mph police chase.

Nunn, aged 27, of Bullus Road, Stourport, pleaded guilty to the illegal communication charge and was given a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.

He was also given an 18-month restraining order, banning him from going within 100 metres of his father's home in Hanstone Road, Walshes estate, Stourport, and forbidding any contact.

Recorder Graham Cliff told the father-of-two the case had probably "only scratched the surface" of what was going on within the Nunn family.

He attached no blame to Mr Nunn senior and said unpleasant messages on electronic media like Facebook were "so easy" to send rather than making face to face complaints.

Mr Aspinall said the father believed he would be the victim of another arson attack and had stayed awake at night worrying.

Nunn had 31 previous offences on his record, mostly for driving, and had been given an anti-social behaviour order in 2005.

On February 27, 2010, police began following a Rover driven by Nunn which had a defective headlight. A 30 minute chase ended after a stinger device was used to deflate a tyre.

He had been given the jail sentence, which had been suspended for two years. But the recorder decided to take no action on the breach on the grounds that the offence was of a different nature to the present crime.

David Howarth, defending, said Nunn had been close to both his parents but his mother died in 2009 and he had problems coming to terms with his father's new relationship.

He said his criminal record had centred around drug misuse. Nunn also had a history of depression.