A CONTRACTOR who threatened to put a gun down a man's throat and watch him "squeal" has been found guilty on two charges in court.
A separate charge of stalk and intimidate involving footage Stein England took of his estranged ex-wife and sent to a friend with the caption "one grumpy looking woman" was dismissed in Toronto Local Court on Thursday.
England will have to wait five months to be handed his sentence, after Magistrate John Chicken asked for a report to see if his "appalling" community service record had improved since he's been under community corrections' supervision.
The two guilty offences stem from two phone calls to Steen Hansen, who had done some work for England, about a custom door he had made and money Mr Hansen said he was owed for construction work at England's house.
In February 2023, Mr Hansen said he told England he could deliver the door and pick up materials from his house provided he was paid upfront.
The charges of using a carriage service to threaten serious harm relate to two phone calls to Mr Hansen, one in February 2023 and the other in March, where England apparently became irate and on one occasion was overheard on speaker phone by Mr Hansen's apprentice saying, "If you come around to my house I will put a gun down your throat and watch you squeal".
Magistrate Chicken said Mr Hansen had struck him as a "truthful witness doing his best to tell the truth" and rejected claims from the defence that evidence from his then apprentice, Michael Nelson, shouldn't be trusted because he was a "mate".
In regards to the charge of stalk and intimidate, for which England was acquitted, Magistrate Chicken said it was clear his former best friend Matthew Roberts, who forwarded the videos to England's ex-wife months later, "dislikes the accused intensely".
"It is equally clear he made it his business to make life as difficult as possible for the accused," Magistrate Chicken said.
He dismissed the charge, telling the court England never forwarded the videos to his ex-wife or anyone he would have expected would send them to her, and that while the caption wasn't complimentary, it was "equally not threatening or abusive".
Magistrate Chicken said he couldn't be satisfied the videos were taken with the intention of causing England's ex-wife to feel fear.
The court heard England's lawyer wants Magistrate Chicken to continue the community corrections order he is already on and impose a fine for the charges relating to Mr Hansen.
Magistrate Chicken made it clear that if England hasn't made improvements in regards to community service that he "didn't see the point" of putting him on another bond.
England will return to court for sentence in May.
