A “MONSTER” who threatened to kill his former partner and their baby daughter previously threatened to bomb the home of a Tory MP, The Argus can reveal.
Craig Wallace was jailed for four and a half years over threats to kill a woman in Crawley.
The unemployed 29-year-old called his probation officer and said: “I’m going to smash the door in and f****** hurt her.”
He claimed he was armed and did not care about being gunned down by armed police.
His former partner described him as a “monster”, while detectives said he was “jealous” despite choosing to leave her.
Following his conviction at Hove Crown Court for the death threat, The Argus can now reveal Wallace was previously jailed for abusing a Conservative MP.
Wallace sent abusive messages to former Bristol North West MP Charlotte Leslie because she had voted for air strikes on Syria in December 2015, The Guardian reported.
He wrote on Facebook: “I’m going to smash her windows then drop a bomb on her house while she’s tucked up in bed. You dirty f****** pig-s******* slut.
“I’m going to find her and show her what it’s like to murder innocents. You dirty pig-f****** whore.”
Wallace was jailed for eight weeks over the tirade, and The Guardian reported how he had apparently converted to Islam and called himself Muhammad Mujahid Islam on Facebook.
He dressed in a white Islamic robe and prayer cap for his court hearing at Willesden Green Magistrates’ Court during the hearing in 2015.
Ms Leslie lost her seat in the 2017 general election. It is understood she is now the director of the Conservative Middle East Council.
At Hove Crown Court earlier this month prosecutor Pierce Power read out Wallace’s long list of previous convictions.
One disturbing incident took place when a woman had sought counselling over her pregnancy.
Wallace found out she had gone to seek advice, and went to the clinic where he shouted outside, calling people “abortion scum” and shouting “you are all murderers”.
Mr Power said Wallace has a history of violent crimes which included being jailed for causing grievous bodily harm, robbery, and affray.
In a letter to the court Wallace said he was physically abused as a child.
“I’m not a violent man, I’m a man with mental illness seeking help,” he said.
It was revealed Wallace, of Windham Road, Bournemouth, has used drugs like heroin and cocaine in the past and has a personality disorder.
Judge Henson QC said the woman suffered “very serious distress” from the death threats.
The judge added an extra four years to Wallace’s prison licence after his release and said he must serve two-thirds of his sentence before he can be considered for parole.
Read more on this defendant:
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Nigel Albuery said: "Wallace met the victim in 2018 and at first they enjoyed a happy relationship.
“But soon he became jealous and possessive, wanting to know and dictating her every move, and distrusting everything she said or did. He also assaulted her on several occasions.
“After two years he left her, saying he had met someone else and moved to Bournemouth. “However over last summer, after he asked to get back together and she said no, the situation worsened again and even more seriously.
"There followed a series of incidents and contacts culminating in his arrest in July 2020. He continually made phone and text threats to the victim and her family, including threatening to burn their house down.
"Finally and with their support we were able to get the evidence to enable us to arrest him and so that the CPS would authorise his prosecution.
"This was a really distressing experience for the victim and her family. We are glad that justice has now been done and that they have a measure of protection and reassurance.
"We will always give support to victims. Securing the best evidence to enable us to get such cases to court can be very challenging but we are committed to doing so.
"Anyone undergoing such a distressing experience can contact us at any time, to talk in confidence, and to secure access to further specialist advice and support."
• For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here. And for the latest from the courts, like our dedicated Facebook group here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel