A 20-year-old man who threatened to throw acid in his ex-girlfriend’s face and have her family shot during a year-long campaign of harassment has been jailed.
Jarom Lea, of Bastion Road, Prestatyn, was sentenced to 39 months in prison at Mold Crown Court today (November 3) after pleading guilty to harassment putting a person in fear of violence.
The court heard that Lea had been in a relationship with Amy Louise Douglas for nine months before she ended it around January 1, 2025.
However, between January 1, 2025, and January 22, 2026, Lea subjected his former partner to repeated unwanted contact and threats, leaving her afraid to leave her home alone.
Prosecuting, Mr Patrick Gartland told the court that Lea had attended Miss Douglas’ home unannounced and attempted to force his way inside.
When she refused to let him in, he placed his hand through the doorway to prevent her from closing the door.
He told her: “If you don’t let me in, I’ll kill myself on your front porch. I’ve got a knife in my pocket.”
Miss Douglas repeatedly pushed him back before eventually managing to close and block the door.
The court also heard that Lea had contacted his former partner through numerous calls, messages and a letter.
On February 5, 2025, he sent five bank transfers of just 1p each, containing unwanted messages.
The following month, on March 13, he sent messages threatening to throw acid in her face and also threatened to have members of her family shot.
His behaviour continued despite police involvement, with Lea posting an image of his postal requisition on social media in December 2025, confirming he was being prosecuted for threatening communications.
In January 2026, he also uploaded an image of Miss Douglas with her face covered and made further threats towards her.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Miss Douglas described how the relationship and subsequent harassment had affected her confidence, relationships and everyday life.
She said: “During my time with Jarom, I felt as though I changed and almost lost my identity. I felt as though all I did was please him.”
She explained that she had stopped spending time with friends and family during their relationship and had become increasingly anxious following the threats.
“It got to the point where I didn’t want to leave the house. I didn’t leave the house on my own for around a month,” she said.
She added that she feared someone would approach her and throw acid in her face, and said she was now having to rebuild her life.
Defending, Miss Sarah Yates highlighted Lea’s age and immaturity, explaining that he had been aged 18 and 19 during the offending.
She also referred to his difficult childhood, mental health challenges and the progress he had made while in custody, including undertaking educational courses and work relating to healthy relationships and anger management.
Read more
The court heard that Lea had two previous convictions for five offences between 2021 and 2023, including an offence involving communications.
Sentencing, Recorder Owen-Casey described Lea’s behaviour as a “campaign of harassment” which had caused significant psychological harm to his victim.
Addressing Lea, the judge said: “It seems to me that the offending goes beyond mere immaturity. As I say, it’s a campaign of harassment, and it was nasty. You were manipulative.”
Referring to the 1p bank transfers, he said Lea’s intention had been to cause as much intimidation and fear as possible.
The judge also rejected Lea’s denial that he had threatened to burn down Miss Douglas’ home, referring to a message presented in evidence.
He acknowledged Lea’s age, personal background and mental health difficulties, but said these did not explain or excuse his behaviour.
The judge found that the aggravating factors, including the domestic abuse context, previous offending and continuation of the harassment while on police bail, outweighed the mitigation.
He imposed a sentence of 39 months’ imprisonment, taking into account a 25 per cent reduction for Lea’s guilty plea.
Lea was also made subject to a restraining order lasting until further order of the court, preventing him from contacting or approaching Miss Douglas, attending any address where she lives, or posting about her online.
The judge said the order was necessary to allow Miss Douglas to feel safe while rebuilding her life.
Concluding the hearing, Recorder Owen-Casey said: “This court will not stand for this kind of behaviour between adults.”
He added: “It is behaviour that simply cannot be tolerated.”
Share