Peterborough man threatened to shoot associate using Facebook Messenger

Adrian Howard, 36, was arrested at his home in Crawthorne Street, Peterborough, on 19 September after he was reported for sending the message via Facebook Messenger.

The message had been sent to a man in his 30s, who he knew, earlier that day saying, “I will put this gun in your mouth and pull the trigger”, along with the image.

While being booked into custody he mentioned how the threats were not spoken over the phone telling officers “it’s amazing how screenshots can be used”.

At Peterborough Crown Court yesterday (3 December) Howard was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, after pleading guilty to making threats to kill at an earlier hearing.

He was also handed a three-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.

DC Kevin Poole said: “This was a distressing incident for the victim which left him genuinely fearing for his life.

“If you have received an abusive or threatening message online, please report it to us.”