Man who threatened to kill Crawley MP with crossbow walks free

By amorrison

AN MP has spoken of her "relief" after a man who threatened to kill her family avoided a jail term.

Brian Griffiths, 42, was given a suspended sentence for a series of threats, including a pledge to firebomb Laura Moffatt's home.

Mrs Moffatt hopes Griffiths can now get the treatment he needs, but admits she was concerned he might carry out one of the attacks

She told the News: "There were some appalling messages left on my office phone and I have to think about my staff too.

"He went into detail about how he was going to kill us all.

"It was difficult and I was worried he had become so unwell that he might actually do something."

Griffiths made the threats in June but was not arrested until he daubed an obscene message about Mrs Moffatt a week later on a fence outside the new doctor's surgery in Coachman's Drive, Broadfield.

Police contacted the MP to ask if she had received any other abuse from Griffiths, who signed the message "Griff".

Mrs Moffatt said: "I didn't make a complaint to the police.

"I have been used to having very difficult telephone calls from Brian Griffiths for years but the moment he put it in writing it became kind of pubic."

When officers spoke to Mrs Moffatt, she handed them recordings of messages left by Griffiths and he was charged was harassment.

Langley Green Hospital in May by Crawley News, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/43442180@N05/4113961419/">

Speaking after Griffiths, of Ramblers Way, Broadfield, was sentenced at Crawley Magistrates' Court on Monday, Mrs Moffatt said: "I am really relieved that Brian didn't receive a custodial sentence.

"I am actually rather fond of him but he became really unwell and was saying things to me and my family that were unacceptable.

"I hope he's in a better state than he was at the time this happened."

At Monday's court hearing, prosecutor Sally Edwards said: "The defendant left Mrs Moffatt a message saying if she didn't return his call he would assault her and her family and use a crossbow on her and set himself on fire."

Griffiths was also charged with aggravated trespass after climbing onto the roof of Langley Green Hospital on May 12 this year.

On that occasion he called the Crawley News and said he would jump unless a reporter came and spoke to him.

At an earlier hearing, Griffiths admitted two counts of harassment, one of criminal damage and one of aggravated trespass.

District Judge Roger Eade told Griffiths: "In my view these are nasty and deliberate threats which were intended to cause fear to people who tried to help you."

Griffiths was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months.

He will be supervised by probation officers for 18 months, during which time he is banned from contacting Mrs Moffatt.