Lancashire man was caught threatening to kill his girlfriend on police bodycam, Preston Crown Court told
When bully Bobby Entwistle threatened to kill his girlfriend his menacing words were captured on a police officer’s bodycam, a court in Preston was told.
The 27-year-old issued the chilling warning as he was being arrested close to his partner’s home following a 999 call from the terrified woman.
Entwistle, who had previous convictions for violence, shouted to officers trying to handcuff him: “As soon as I get out I’m going to kill the slag.”
Recorder Geoffrey Lowe described the threat as a “serious offence”. But he stepped back from giving him an immediate prison sentence after hearing that in over a year since the incident there had been no further trouble between the pair, who were no longer together.
Instead Entwistle, who pleaded guilty to making threats to kill, was given an eight-month jail term suspended for 12 months.
The city’s Crown Court heard the couple had been having a “violent argument” at home one evening in August 2024 and the confrontation led the woman to make an emergency call for help.
When police arrived at the address in Accrington she claimed she had been assaulted by Entwistle. He had already left the property but was discovered 20 minutes later in a nearby street, together with the woman’s pet dog, and was told he was being arrested on suspicion of assault.
The court heard that after being handcuffed he managed to free himself and there was a struggle before he was finally placed in a police van and taken away for questioning.
Prosecuting barrister Rachel Woods said that while being cautioned in the street Entwistle shouted out “as soon as I get out I’m going to kill the slag”. His words were clearly caught on an officer’s bodycam.
He later told them he had tried to break free because he was “fuming” at being accused of assault.
Ms Woods said his criminal record included offences of assault and battery. His victim in this latest offence had declined to give a witness statement about what had happened to her and no application was made for a restraining order.
Barrister Eleanor Brambell, defending, urged the judge not to pass a sentence of immediate custody saying there had been no further issues between the couple in more than a year.
She said Entwistle, of Worsley Court, Oswaldtwistle, was regarded as at low risk of re-offending.
Recorder Lowe said the offence of making threats to kill crossed the threshold for a custodial sentence and an aggravating factor was that he had two previous offences of violence on his record in 2019 and 2022.
He said the starting point for sentence was nine months, reduced to eight months due to his guilty plea. “But I do not take the view that this would necessarily warrant an immediate custodial sentence.
“Eight months is the appropriate sentence for this offence. If there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation I can step back from a custodial sentence and impose a suspended sentence.”
In addition Recorder Lowe ordered Entwistle to complete up to 30 rehabilitation activity days and warned him that if he failed to comply with the order or committed any further offences in the next 12 months he could end up in prison.