Man jailed for threatening to stab Teignmouth councillor
GoogleA man with a vendetta against politicians has been jailed for threatening to stab a local councillor.
Nicholas Scales, 47, from Teignmouth, sent poison pen letters to Town Councillor Alison Eden in May.
He also sent threats via one of her friends, with one text saying: "I am going to Higher Brimley to stab her."
Scales was jailed for 44 weeks by Judge Timothy Rose at Exeter Crown Court after admitting two breaches of a restraining order between May and July.
The defendant was already serving a sentence at Exeter Prison for making threats to local Conservative councillor Sylvia Russell when he began his vendetta against Ms Eden.
Scales was banned from contacting her but then sent a letter and text messages to her friend David Cox.
In the letter, sent on June 15, he said he hoped she was run over on a zebra crossing and told her: "I'm friends with a murderer who is out on licence."
Scales, who was fined for sending homophobic abuse to Conservative MP Stuart Andrew in 2012, was originally jailed for a year by Teignbridge magistrates but appealed the sentence.
The judge told him that the lower court had not given him sufficient credit for his guilty plea or made enough allowance for his mental health issues, but warned him to expect a long jail sentence if he breaks any restraining orders after his release.
Katie Churcher, defending, said Scales' offending arose out of mental health problems caused by a head injury seven years ago.
