A THIEF who threatened to throw acid over a man has been put behind bars for nine months.

On April 25 this year, Jamie William Chandler got into an argument with his victim, who he had stolen seven rings and two lockets from, which he had then sold to an antiques store.

Prosecutor Robert Bryan told Winchester Crown Court on Thursday last week the Pershore Road, Popley, resident protested his innocence during the encounter, saying ‘he could get the jewellery back.’

Mr Bryan said: “He [Chandler] had called them [the victim], pleading for them to come to the store to get everything sorted, but didn’t get any response.”

The court heard how the defendant had contacted the victim a number of times using several different numbers.

Mr Bryan added: “He became frustrated and left a message when he was heading to their address saying ‘do you want to end up in the boot with acid over your face?’.”

The court then heard how Chandler turned up at the victim’s property with a bottle with a spray function, which was later found to contain ammonia.

When he was arrested, the police found the bottle of ammonia in the Hyundai i10 car which the defendant was driving.

The car was a hire car which the defendant had decided not to return, it was later found.

The 29-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of stealing a motor vehicle, one count of being in possession of an offensive weapon and one count of sending malicious messages.

Chandler is currently already serving a four week jail sentence for stealing the jewellery, the court was told.

Defending Chandler, Leesha Whawell, said the defendant used expletive language as ‘a form of punctuation’ and that he “knows he has to do better with his behaviour because he frightens people.”

In sentencing, Recorder Ben Compton told the court that he was ‘impressed’ with the steps the defendant had already made in custody to change his life.

Recorder Compton sentenced Chandler to nine months in jail for possession of an offensive weapon, three months for sending malicious messages and three months for the theft of a vehicle, all to run concurrently.

After sentencing the 29-year-old with the jail time, Recorder Compton added: “You have been given a chance to make things better for yourself so make sure you take it.”