'Time to die' - Hebburn pensioner avoids jail over social media threats to son and family

A South Tyneside pensioner threatened to kill his son and daughter-in-law in social media posts after blaming her for the breakdown of his marriage.

In Facebook messages over 10 days, ex-Merchant Navy man Charles Crookston, 74, claimed they had ‘stolen his life’, and warned, ‘I promise both of you dead’.

And in another, Crookston, of Jubilee Court, Hebburn, wrote, ‘I’ll hurt you, your car won’t help you, mine is heavier. Time to die’.

His campaign of distress ran from Friday, October 27, and Wednesday, November 8, prosecutor Lucy Todd said.

Crookston, who has no previous convictions, could have been jailed for an offence which had left his victims concerned for their safety.

But borough magistrates instead allowed him to keep his liberty - while warning social media allowed people to take out their frustrations too easily.

Ms Todd said: “The complainant is the daughter-in-law of the defendant. On October 28 she was made aware of several posts on Facebook, posted to the son.

“Throughout, his daughter-in-law expressed severe distress that these would be carried out.

“In interview, he did admit these threats but said he had been stressed and intoxicated at the time.

“The crown would place this as high culpability, it was ongoing posts across these dates.

“This is aggravated by the domestic context. They don’t live together but there’s family knowledge.”

Crookston, also a former pub landlord, pleaded guilty to a charge of sending a communication conveying an indecent or offensive message for the purpose of causing distress.

David Forrester, defending, said his client had no intention of carrying out his threats.

He added: “This is a man who has had his life taken away from him when his wife left him, he thinks at the instigation of his daughter-in-law.

“He had a sense of grievance which on a couple of occasions he took out on his keyboard. There’s clearly been an horrendous fallout in the family.

“In interview, he said he was stressed and there was no way in the world he would harm anybody. It’s beyond the pale that he would hurt.

“He feels he’s had a lot taken away from him, he has a genuine grievance for what’s happened to him.

“It takes a minute to post a message on Facebook and a lifetime to regret it.”

Magistrates sentenced Crookston to a 12-month community order, with 15 rehabilitation days and 12 sessions of a mental health programme.

They also imposed a 12-month restraining order for him to stay away from his victims, with a £114 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.

John Lee, chair of the bench, told him: “It’s sad, Mr Crookston, that someone of your age finds himself in court this afternoon and is about to lose their good character.

“Part of the problem these days is social media. People get frustrated and upset and, as Mr Forrester said, they take it out on their keyboard.”