Balaclava clad dad chased man at high speed after telling him 'watch your back'

A dad who harassed a man for months by turning up at his house, chasing him in his car and sending threatening messages day and night has been jailed.

Simon Kinsella chased Nathan Doyle in his car at high speed through red lights and on the wrong side of the road, while Mr Doyle's partner and her young children were in the vehicle. He would make phone calls and send threatening messages day and night as well as making Mr Doyle fear opening his own front door in case Kinsella was 'standing behind it.'

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, May 1, how the 39-year-old had been told his 'on and off partner and mother of his children' had had sexual relations with Mr Doyle, which Mr Doyle denied.

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Kinsella had been having on and off relationships with his partner, who he shares a child with and has another child on the way. The court heard how 'for whatever reason' during one of their off periods his partner had been involved with another man, which Kinsella was led to believe was Mr Doyle.

The 39-year-old first started banging on the windows of Mr Doyle's home. He then started to call and send text messages to Mr Doyle's phone at various times of the day and night. When Mr Doyle answered a call, Kinsella would say "you have been f****** my bird. You have a red car don't you. Watch your back I am coming for you."

On July 6, 2022 Kinsella began to send Mr Doyle snapchat messages. One of the messages read: "You think you can f*** my baby mamma and get away with it. Was it worth it. What are you going to do lad."

Then on July 17, 2022, Kinsella begun chasing Mr Doyle in his car. Mr Doyle had stopped at a red traffic light when Kinsella pulled up next to him, wearing a balaclava. The court heard how Kinsella pulled up the balaclava so that Mr Doyle could see it was him - Mr Doyle managed to drive away from Kinsella in this instance.

On another occasion Mr Doyle arrived home with his partner and her two young children, aged one and four, to find Kinsella had parked his black Mercedes van over his driveway. Mr Doyle managed to swerve out of Kinsella's way, who then gave chase.

The chase happened at high speed, through red lights and on the wrong side of the road. Mr Doyle managed to call police who then intervened.

A victim statement read out from Mr Doyle said: "In my life I have never had to deal with anything of this nature. It has had a negative impact on myself and people I love close to me. I feel like I have been dragged into someone else's problems, but through no fault of my own. He decided to have a personal vendetta against me.

"Living my day to day life with the worry of what will happen when I open my door is something I have never had to deal with. What if he managed to catch the vehicle. What if I had crashed. I worry...I often found myself not wanting to leave my home, it has left me unable to sleep at night. I just want to live my life to go to work and have have a nice life."

Judge David Potter, sentencing, told Kinsella: "You began a campaign of harassment against Nathan Doyle for a reason that does not needs to be investigated...it was something said to you by someone.

"You began to make phone calls to him in the early hours of the morning and indicate violence. Further to those calls you followed him wearing a balaclava you then began driving in a dangerous manner, you drove in such a way that Mr Doyle had to drive in a fast way away from you. Eventually he was able to shake you.

"He lived with stress and in fear of opening his door in case you were on the other side of it."

Kinsella, of the last know address, Alexandra Drive, Bootle, was jailed for 16 months for aggravated stalking and dangerous driving.

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