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An ex-volunteer at a Wrexham charity shop who admitted harassing a member of staff has been spared jail.

James Timothy Fowler, 21, had made a threat in a letter and also in a phone call to the woman at the British Heart Foundation shop at Edgerton Street.

In one chilling call he told the woman he was "going to make her life hell".

During another call he told another staff member he was going "to kill the lot of you".

Staff at the charity shop were so concerned the British Heart Foundation had employed a security guard.

The 21-year-old, of Mold Road, Wrexham admitted between January 15 and January 18 this year he caused a member of staff to fear that violence would be used against her.

A second charge of sending an electronic communication to cause distress and anxiety, which he denied, was not proceeded with by the prosecution.

He was at Caernarfon Crown Court for sentence.

The court heard that following publicity about an earlier conviction which led to Fowler being given a suspended sentence the British Heart Foundation decided it was not appropriate for him to continue to work voluntarily for them.

That had caused a lot of anxiety and frustration on his part and the offences occurred.

Judge Huw Rees was told Fowler had received a suspended prison sentence at Liverpool Crown Court for possessing two knives in January.

Defence counsel Maria Masselis said his parents had become aware of what had happened at the shop in Wrexham in January and told him to wait for them at home.

He did not do so and in panic went to Liverpool by train and bought two knives with the intention of harming himself. He was arrested by police and charged.

She asked the court to consider the contents of the pre-sentence report and suspend any jail term to allow Probabtion Service officers to continue to work with Fowler, who had been diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum.

Sentencing the judge said: "This is the third time you've been before a crown court. You've been here before, you've appeared in Liverpool and you're back here.

"No one wants to send you to prison but if you continue to behave in this way that is where you will go."

Handing him a jail term of 15 weeks suspended for 12 months the judge warned he would not get another chance.

In addition to the jail term Fowler must carry out 50 hours of unpaid work and attended Probation Service courses over five days.

He was made the subject of a Restraining Order for three years during which he must not contact British Heart Foundation staff nor enter the Wrexham shop.