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A MAN who threatened to burn down an Indian takeaway and demanded £6,000 from his victim during two terrifying phone calls has escaped being sent to prison.

Michael Davies told Hussein Tunnicliffe: "Your takeaway is going to get burned down - your life is going to be in danger. I do have weapons; I can shoot you at any time."

Davies, 63, of Station Court, Damory Road, Blandford, admitted two charges of making threatening telephone calls on November 19 last year and being in breach of a conditional discharge.

Prosecuting at Bournemouth Crown Court, Stuart Ellacott said police had traced the phone calls and Davies had been arrested the next day.

"He admitted making the calls while under the influence of alcohol and said he was angry because of the way his partner, who worked in various takeaways in Dorset, had been treated.

"He accepted the contents of the calls would have been frightening," he said.

The court heard how Davies, who has a previous conviction for harassment, demanded that Mr Tunnicliffe give him £1,000 a week for six weeks and made arrangements to meet him outside a 24-hour Tesco store to hand over the first instalment.

He then told him: "Do not be smart and do not tell the police."

Defence barrister Robert Grey made no submissions on his client's behalf after Judge Roger Jarvis said he was prepared to follow a recommendation that Davies should receive a suspended prison sentence.

Imposing a three-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, Judge Jarvis told Davies: "You were very fortunate not to have been convicted of the more serious allegation of blackmail.

"The circumstances of these offences are serious indeed; made the worse because they occurred when you were subject of a conditional discharge.

"You are a very sick man. On this occasion, I'm not going to send you to prison."

1:00pm Sunday 11th May 2008

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