A High Wycombe man who made "menacing" death threats has avoided going to jail.

Marco Fernandes-Goncalves, 42, of West Wycombe Road, has been given a nine-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

At a hearing at Wycombe Magistrates' Court on August 18, Fernandes-Goncalves pleaded guilty to a charge of sending an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message via a public communication network.

On February 5, Fernandes-Goncalves sent the menacing messages. The court heard how the content of the messages included "highly offensive remarks and threats to harm and kill people."

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After hearing the evidence, the magistrates gave Fernandes-Goncalves a custodial sentence due to the severity of the offending.

However, they opted to suspend the sentence as they considered there was a chance he could change his behaviour while subject to a community order.

The order states that he must participate in rehabilitation activity. He was also made subject to a restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim.

He was also made to pay £213 in costs.