A NASTY prisoner who hid his phone up his bum sent someone to slash his ex-partner’s tyres after threatening her with a life of ‘turmoil’ while he was in prison.

Thomas Rayment, who was previously jailed for leading a lucrative drug gang in Warrington, told the victim it is ‘all out war’ if she cannot be ‘civil’ with him.

He also said that if she calls the police on him, she will ‘pay the heaviest price’ she has ever paid and will never see her child again.

Rayment, formerly of Burtonwood, appeared via video link before Liverpool Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to sending an electronic communication conveying a threatening message.

Prosecuting, Sarah Griffin said how the defendant and victim had previously been in a relationship and had a child together.

Ms Griffin said that during Rayment’s time in prison, even though their pair had separated, the victim often still took their child to visit his father.

But by March 2022, Rayment was transferred to HMP Thorn Cross in Appleton Thorn and was given day release every other Saturday so the visits stopped.

On one particular visit to see his son, Rayment began begging the victim to give their relationship another go. But he was told no and that the only contact the pair will ever have will be over their son.

Since then, the victim had blocked her ex-partner’s email address so all of his messages went into her spam folder.

The court heard how on the evening of March 8, 2022, the victim received a threatening email from Rayment which said: “Giving you until 6.30pm to call with my son, then the games start.

“Once they have started you will then have another option to call, or we play more.”

In another email, Rayment suggested he had another phone ‘plugged’ and that if the victim caused him to be moved prisons, he would still have access to a phone and that she would 'suffer worse' than she ever had.

The email ended: “After today there will be no holding back, I promise you it is all-out war if you can’t be civil.”

Ms Griffin told the court that later that night, the victim was upstairs in her home in Warrington when she heard a hissing noise. She looked on a CCTV app on her phone and saw a man crouched down near her car who appeared to be stabbing her tyres.

She called the police and just a few minutes later, Rayment sent another threatening message which referenced her tyres being slashed.

The threatening emails continued, including one which claimed if the victim had called the police she will ‘regret it in a big, big way’ and will never see one of her children again.

Another said: “We end it and live a good happy stable life or we carry on this madness and end it with the biggest explosion ever.”

Liverpool Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

The emails then stopped until she was contacted by the defendant on WhatsApp. She then blocked his number.

Ms Griffin read a victim impact statement to the court in which it was heard how Rayment’s bullying behaviour had not only an effect on his ex-partner but her children also.

Liverpool Crown Court was told how the victim holds her phone in bed at night so she will be ready to call the police.

The statement also revealed how every night, she goes to bed fearing ‘this is the night’ she will be attacked and each morning the first thing that she does is check her CCTV footage.

Rayment has 19 convictions for 35 offences.

Defending, Andrew Pickin said his client has shown a ‘great deal of remorse’ and acknowledges the ‘unsettling’ effect that his behaviour had on the victim and her children.

Mr Pickin explained how Rayment has completed a number of programmes in prison, including a thinking skills one, and that he can continue to learn outside of custody.

The court heard how after the incident, Rayment was moved from HMP Thorn Cross, a category D prison, so lost his privileges. He said as a result he has ‘to some extent’ already served some form of sentence for the offence.

Concluding, judge Gary Woodhall said that Rayment ‘targeted a vulnerable victim’ and the offending was ‘ultimately a hate campaign’.

Rayment was handed a 52-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

He is also subjected to a seven-year restraining order against his ex-partner, must complete a Building Better Relationships programme, up to 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and must partake in unpaid work.