Knife-wielding pensioner threatened to kill ex's new lover after following pair home to Cramlington
by Rob Kennedy · ChronicleLiveA knife-wielding pensioner threatened to kill his former partner's new lover after following them home.
Francesco Mango tailed the couple to their home in Cramlington then became angry, produced a knife and said 'I'm going to kill you'. Newcastle Crown Court heard the two victims were left terrified with the woman saying she "honestly thought my time was up".
Now 67-year-old Mango, of Wreay Walk, Cramlington, who has been remanded in custody since the end of June, has been given a suspended prison sentence for affray and having a bladed article.
The court heard the male victim said that since Mango found out about his relationship with his ex, he had been unhappy and trying to rekindle his long-term relationship with her. There had been previous altercations and arguments in the lead up to the incident.
On June 24, matters came to a head when the couple were driving to their home and noticed Mango following them into their street in his van. When they pulled up on their drive, he stopped outside a neighbour's home and gestured for the woman to go to him.
She thought he was there to collect a watch and so went to get it and put it on his passenger seat. Omar Ahmad, prosecuting, said: "They started speaking, which turned into an argument.
"It ended with the defendant becoming aggressive and producing a knife. The woman closed the door and walked away but the defendant left his vehicle and was wielding the knife in front of him as he walked, at pace, towards (the man).
"He was saying 'I'm going to kill you', which seemed to be directed towards the man." The woman tried to stop him and her partner went into the house and grabbed a piece of wood to protect himself.
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Mango went up to the front door and his ex got between the two men. The man took a picture of Mango holding the knife and called the police.
Mango left but was later pulled over by police. He told officers "I lost control this morning". He said he had happened upon the couple and was angry about a previous altercation which prompted him to follow them and behave as he did.
The woman said: "I was very scared and frightened throughout the whole incident. I honestly thought my time was up and he was going to kill me.
"He was very aggressive throughout the incident and was shouting and swearing at my partner."
Mango, who has four previous convictions, including for battery and threats to kill against the same woman, pleaded guilty to affray and having a bladed article. He was sentenced to 16 months suspended for two years and was given a five-year restraining order.
Mr Recorder Wheeler told him: "They were clearly petrified as a result of your actions. They were in fear of their own lives as a result of your actions and your threats.
"You have been remanded in custody so you now know what it's like to go to prison and what happens to people that don't comply with court orders."
Katie Spence, defending, said: "This was a relationship that lasted decades. The defendant accepts he struggled when it ended but he knows it's over now."
She added: "The public would be better served by this defendant undergoing intensive supervision by the probation service. Clearly he is someone who can be rehabilitated."
Speaking through an Italian interpreter, Mango added that he was unwell and taking more than 20 tablets a day for cancer.
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