Two brothers smashed up their ex’s business in a cruel "revenge attack" but both avoided prison.
Lee Adshead, 31, and brother Anthony, 27, caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the woman’s beauty salon.
She had been in a relationship with the older Adshead brother for around two years before things took a turn for the worse.
It culminated in the brothers executing a cruel “revenge attack”, taking a hammer and crowbar to her beauty salon, smashing 16 windows.
Following the attack he went from threatening to kill her to telling her how much he missed her within a matter of hours.
But at a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court, both brothers were given suspended terms of imprisonment - so avoided jail.
And then Anthony took to social media to gloat about their freedom, posting a picture of them both on Facebook on the steps of the court, writing: “Guess who’s back ’cracking result today’ absolutely ‘smashing’ #nocompo”.
Lee Adshead and his partner had a number of arguments about her contact with an ex who was in prison at the time.
The court also heard that Lee believed he was owed money after the woman had sold a motorhome for £60,000, The Manchester Evening News reported.
Before the brothers smashed up her business, on November 17 last year, Lee Adshead smashed up the woman’s Land Rover and poured a milkshake over the inside of the car.
He later messaged her saying: “You won’t be able to drive your car home now.”
The next day he went to her business and into her office and began shouting at her and threatening her.
Prosecutor Hayley Bennett said: “He pushed his left fist into her left cheek and held her by the back of the neck. She was saying she was sorry and attempted to move away when he began pouring water over her.
“He pushed her and caused her to fall back. He continued threatening her, which was recorded by the complainant.”
In the recording, Lee Adshead could be heard saying “you are a dirty rat … you won’t live in peace, just you wait”.
Just five days later Lee Adshead returned with his brother and they smashed up the shop-the older brother disputes using a weapon.
The woman had been sleeping in the shop at the time due to rumours Lee Adshead was making threats to smash up the shop.
The court also heard he sent abusive messages to her daughter, and the woman went to his house, where he lived with his mum and dad, to confront him about this.
The brothers caused £15,000 worth of damage and members of the public heard Lee Adshead saying: “I will f****** kill you, think you are funny”, “you broke my heart, mate … I’m gonna kill you”.
Later that evening, he sent the woman a voice note saying: “You can’t do a thing. Don’t think you’re going to start making death threats. You are a little f****** rat b***h, can’t be loyal to anyone. You won’t do nothing.”
He later sent her a text which read: “Miss you so much. You are a smashing girl, such a cracking woman, I’m shattered without you.”
Mitigating for Lee Adshead, Simeon Evans said his client thought the relationship was good for a long time.
He said his former partner had an ex-boyfriend who was in prison and due for release, and thought the woman was considering getting back together with him.
Mr Evans said: “He didn’t have experience to simply move on and a degree of resentment built up into an argument about that.
“He accepts behaving in a way he never should have done, he never intended anything more sinister. There was a degree of back and forth with issuing threats.”
For Anthony Adshead, Brendan O’Leary said: “He comes to be involved through a misguided sense of loyalty to his brother. In reality, he had nothing to do with this case.
“He made the foolish decision to go along in support of his brother because of what happened at their mother’s address when someone from the woman’s family attended.
“It wasn’t his issue and he shouldn’t have gotten involved.”
Sentencing them both, Judge Stephen Davies said: “I have read the victim's personal statement, and it is clear, but not surprising, that all of this had an unpleasant impact on the complainant.
“The end of your relationship and the way you reacted to it does fall under domestic abuse.”
Lee Adshead, of Havana Close, pleaded guilty to criminal damage, harassment, sending a malicious communication and common assault. He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment which was suspended for two years, along with 40 days of rehabilitation activity requirements, a requirement to complete the Building Better Relationships Programme and 240 hours unpaid work. He was also made the subject of a restraining order for three years.
His brother, Anthony, also of Havana Close, was handed three months imprisonment suspended for 12 months, 10 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and 80 hours unpaid work, after pleading guilty to criminal damage.
