A 26-year-old man dumped over the phone while working in Sierra Leone made threatening phone calls to his ex when he returned home to East Lancashire.

Blackburn magistrates heard that Kevin Richard King threatened to ‘put a bullet’ in Chloe Goodber and her new boyfriend.

In a second call he threatened to kidnap their two-year-old child from nursery and told her to buy lots of make-up because she was ‘going to get her face slashed’.

King, of Clough End Road, Haslingden, pleaded guilty to two charges of making threatening phone calls. He was fined £300, ordered to pay £215 costs and given a two-year restraining order.

Basharat Ditta, defending, said King had taken a job in Africa to support his partner and their child and the phone call to finish the relationship had come out of the blue.

“While he was away working his partner had formed a new relationship and moved that person into their home,” said Mr Ditta.

“He initially rang her to talk about access to their child but accepts things got heated.

“He intends to go back to Sierra Leone and put this behind him as soon as possible.”