A MAN has been jailed for threatening to kill his wife after he discovered that she had an affair while he was serving a prison sentence, a court heard.

Prosecutor Lee Dacre said Kieron Burke sent his wife voice messages on WhatsApp saying: ‘I am going to kill you, wwhen I get hold of you, I am absolutely going to kill you’.

The court heard the messages were sent by the 37-year-old at 3.46pm on November 9 (Saturday).

Burke, of Maple Street, Ulverston, was arrested and remanded into custody before the court hearing took place on Tuesday.

Mr Dacre said: “She had fled their house due to previous domestic violence and threats against this defendant.

"The messages made her feel scared and she feared for her life. She believed the defendant would kill her.”

The court heard Burke had recently been jailed for 13 months for two assault occasioning actual bodily harm offences against the same woman.

He also had a background of other convictions for violence including section 20 wounding (GBH) and assaults against police officers, the court was told.

In mitigation, Lisa Phizacklea explained Burke reacted by sending the messages after learning the mother of one of his three children had been adulterous.

She said: “He tells me it was him that decided to leave the address which he shares with the victim because he learnt she had been having an affair with someone else whilst he was in custody earlier this year.

“He said he blocked her on all social media platforms and that he was contacted by one of her friends.

“Having booked a hotel room to distance himself from the woman, he then started drinking.

"He knows that was not the right thing to do. He was upset and that is what has led to him sending these messages.”

He admitted to sending a communication threatening death or serious harm at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court on November 12.

Ms Phizacklea urged District Judge John Temperley to step back from imposing an immediate custodial sentence.

She said her client had not have much contact with his family since his release from prison and that he was not getting much support from anyone.

She added Burke would also lose contact with his daughter if he was sent to prison. 

However, Judge Temperley said it was ‘inevitable’ that Burke would have to go back to custody due to the ‘extremely serious nature of the offence’.

He jailed the defendant for six months and imposed a five-year restraining order.

Before passing sentence, Judge Temperley said: “In my view, this is a serious matter that warrants imprisonment.

"Your background is littered with serious offences. There was every reason for your wife to fear you would carry out these threats.”

Burke was also ordered to pay a £154 surcharge.