Sunderland mother threatened to melt love rival's face off

Courtney Brown, 23, told the victim she would disfigure her so that no man would look at her again, South Tyneside magistrates heard.

The terrifying threats were made over social media between September 19 and November 7, by Brown.

Prosecutor Justin Gibson said the victim and Brown’s ex, with whom she has a three-year-old child, had been communicating on Facebook since August.

The court heard there was then an alleged incident in which Brown smashed up her former partner’s flat, on September 17.

Them on November 3, his new girlfriend started receiving messages via facebook.

One message read: “I’m coming down to bray you,” Mr Gibson said.

The court heard the victim contacted her niece in an effort to stop the defendant acting out the threats.

However, the messages only got worse.

One read: “I’m coming for you, simple as that.

“I won’t stop until bleach, boiling water and sugar hits your face.

“Watch out for this love. I will melt your face off that bad that nobody will ever look at you again.

“I will personally murder you with my bare hands.

“I know where you live. I’m going to smash your windows and blow your house up.”

Brown, of Sevenoaks Drive, Hastings Hill, pleaded guilty to harassment, putting her victim in fear of violence.

A victim personal statement was read out in court.

It said: “I am petrified.

“I haven’t been able to sleep or eat properly.

“I’m worried to leave the house as I feel that she will kill me if I leave the house.

“This has caused me a great deal of distress over the past few weeks.”

Susan Gray, defending, said: “This is her first time in court and although the offence is serious and the messages are particularly unpleasant, there is no suggestion in her background or her actions that she was going to carry out these threats.

“She had been with her ex-partner for six years and they have a three-year-old child.

“They split up earlier in the year and she was devastated by that, although it was not a happy relationship.

“She has mental health problems. She has mood swings that go from anger to elation and she is medicated.

“Shortly after that break-up, she found out that her ex was in a relationship with this lady.

“It seems to have gone quiet after September. Then between November 3 and 7 it started again.

“Miss Brown found out that he was seeing her and she couldn’t cope with that and she took to social media.

“She expressed herself in a way that is completely unacceptable.

“The threats weren’t carried out and there was no chance of them being carried out. It would be completely against her whole ethos.

“There has been no contact since the arrest was made.”

The bench asked for a pre-sentence report to be prepared by the Probation Service and Brown will be sentenced at a later date.

She was bailed on the conditions that she does not contact prosecution witnesses, attend Gala Bingo in The Galleries, Washington, or enter Penshaw Village.