Suspended sentence for letter writer who threatened Minister

A Douglas man who sent poison pen letters to the Treasury Minister threatening to “knife his wife” has been handed a restraining order.

63-year-old John Corran was also given a three month suspended prison sentence at Douglas Courthouse this morning.

He’d previously pleaded guilty to penning two anonymous letters to Eddie Teare between November 2014 and December 2015 – his conduct, he accepted, caused fear of violence.  

Corran - who was caught when police matched his DNA to the profile recovered from the envelopes he’d used - told officers he’d sent the letters to “put the frighteners” on the MHK.

Sentencing him Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said whilst there were no “physical face to face threats” his actions had “undoubtedly” caused fear – adding the offence was “serious”.

Corran, who was described in court as a ‘vulnerable adult’, nodded his head in agreement as she told him “you now appreciate what you did was wrong”.

She told him the restraining order was “proportionate and necessary” to offer “adequate protection” to Mr Teare – she also ordered Corran to pay prosecution costs of £125.