Vile Leeds ex with history of violence threatened acid attack on former partner
He said he would “take out” her family “one by one”
A thug with a history of attacking women made sickening threats to his ex partner, including an acid attack .
Michael James was out of prison on licence from a previous assault on the woman, and on a restraining order to stay away.
But he wormed his way back into her life, and when she tried to stop him, he would call her up to 100 times a day and make horrific death threats to her and her family.
James was given a new jail sentence at Leeds Crown Court this week.
The pair had been in a relationship for 10 months until June 2024. He was then convicted of ABH and strangulation in December 2024 and jailed for 30 months.
Having been released in September last year, he ignored the five-year restraining order and sought to contact the woman.
She relented and he persuaded her to let him stay for a weekend. However, he stayed for three weeks and in that time he took control of her finances and made threats to kill them both.
When he refused to leave, she contacted the police and he eventually fled.
But the 26-year-old would call her up to 100 times a day, became verbally aggressive and accused her of seeing other people.
This escalated into death threats, saying he would arrange an acid attack - to have a corrosive liquid thrown in her face to seriously injure, maim or kill her.
James made threats to kill her mum and said he would “take her family out one by one”, prosecutor Syed Khukon said.
He told her that “what I say goes” and “do as you are told”.
He was eventually arrested in April of this year after being spotted by police. He tried to run but was found hiding in a bush. He was in possession of cannabis.
James, of no fixed address, gave a no-comment interview but later admitted breaching his restraining order, making threats to kill and possession of a Class B drug.
He appeared in court over a video link from HMP Leeds after being recalled to serve the remainder of his 30-month sentence from December 2024.
He has other convictions related to a previous partner in which he controlled and coerced her and also turned violent. In addition, he later threatened to shoot that woman’s mother.
Mitigating for his latest offences, James Holding said that James had wanted to be part of a “regular family” but could not excuse his behaviour after getting in touch with his ex.
Mr Holding added: “He acknowledges that the contact was wrong and he is ashamed of the the way he spoke to the complainant.”
He said he had a “difficult upbringing” but did not expand on this. He said while in prison he was using his time wisely and was a wing cleaner.
Judge Penelope Belcher told James: “You say you are ashamed but you have offended against her [in the past].
“You appear to have a sense of entitlement in an intimate relationship.”
She jailed him for 16 months. However, it will run concurrently to his existing sentence.