A man who called the police telling them he was going to burn down his ex-partner's house in an attempt to spend Christmas in prison got his wish.

Adam Greener was already on bail after threatening to ‘slash’ the woman up after two relatives were investigated for damaging a car outside of her home, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 36-year-old spent more than four months on remand following his arrest in December.

Tabitha Buck, prosecuting, said the defendant had been in a relationship with the woman before he started harassing her and making threatening calls.

She said the trouble started when Greener and two juveniles turned up at the woman’s home on November 25 before the two youths were spotted vandalising a car parked outside her home early the next morning and window was broken at her home.

Miss Buck said the woman contacted the police about the vandalism and an investigation was launched.

“She then started receiving calls from the defendant,” she said. “He told her drop the charges or he would ‘slash her up’.

“He said that if she moved out of Stockton, he would buy her child a present.”

Despite being on bail, the defendant turned up at her home and apologised wanting to pay for the damage to her window, and no threats were made.

The court heard how the defendant then called the police threatening to burn her house down and had made threats to kill her.

Greener, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to witness intimidation from November 26 and harassment causing fear of violence between November 26 and December 20 last year.

Cainan Lonsdale, mitigating, urged the judge pass a suspended prison sentence to enable his client to continue addressing his drug addiction.

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Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Greener to 15 months in custody suspended for two years after telling him that he had served the equivalent of an eight-month sentence while on remand.

He said: “You threatened to burn her house down, that threat was clearly taken seriously by the police and had caused her some distress.

“You said you wanted to be arrested over the Christmas period because you didn’t want to be on the streets.”

Greener was ordered to attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and was made subject to a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement order.