West Derby thug with petrol can threatened to burn his girlfriend and baby alive

A man holding a petrol can threatened to burn his girlfriend and baby alive after she locked him out of their home.

Garath Barr, 22, kicked a front door and headbutted a window when Charlotte Day decided to end their two-year relationship because of his drug use.

Liverpool Crown Court heard he shouted through the letterbox: “You best watch your back – I’m getting you terrorised, I’m getting your head punched in.”

Barr then grabbed a jerry can of petrol and repeatedly said: “Watch what I’m going to do to you and the baby tonight, I’m going to burn you alive.”

William Beardmore, prosecuting, said the couple had an 11-month old baby girl and lived together in Dewsbury Road, Anfield .

He said: “She had noticed he had been suffering with wild mood swings. Particularly she put this down to his use of cannabis and cocaine.”

The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Liverpool Crown Court. File picture. Photo by Ian Cooper

The court heard Miss Day returned home and found Barr in a mood on October 9 last year.

She asked him to go outside to clear his mind and he stormed out at 7pm.

Mr Beardmore said: “As a result she locked the front and back doors so he couldn’t get back in.

“She had decided she’d had enough of his behaviour and wanted to end the relationship.”

Barr returned 15 minutes later and began to shout through the letterbox.

Mr Beardmore said the victim was “terrified” when Barr picked up the jerry can, which he kept for his motorbike.

Barr then picked up a brick and threatened to smash a window.

Mr Beardmore said: “He said he was going to smash her head in with the brick.”

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The victim called Barr’s brother, who managed to convince the defendant to leave.

He was arrested after she called police several days later.

Miss Day told officers she thought he was capable of carrying out the threats.

Mr Beardmore said: “She couldn’t believe he would threaten to kill her and his own baby in their own house. She was worried about his unpredictability and indicated it was related to his drug use.”

"You said you would burn her alive and you were holding a petrol can"

Barr, of Asser Road, West Derby , admitted affray on the opening day of a trial.

Brendan Carville, defending, accepted it was a “very frightening” incident, but said it was a verbal rather than physical assault.

Mr Carville said: “The defendant has learned his lesson. He spent 10 and a half weeks in prison.”

Barr said he was depressed and felt under pressure because of his new responsibility as a father.

Judge Anil Murray said: “You said you would burn her alive and you were holding a petrol can while you were doing that. That must have been a very frightening experience.

“You say you are remorseful and so you should be. Had you not spent some time in custody, the sentence might have been very different today.”

Judge Murray handed Barr a 12-month community order and told him to attend a rehabilitation course.

He imposed a five-year restraining order, preventing Barr from contacting Miss Day except via solicitors.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/