Michael Cullen (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 4 minutes ago
A 44-year-old man who appointed himself as a debt collector and made terrifying threats to a teenager over a damaged car has been locked up for 18 months.
Michael Cullen, of Clyne Court, Sketty Park, Swansea, rang the victim and warned he would come to his home and remove his fingers with an axe – a call so alarming the teenager fled the property before Cullen arrived.
Background to the threats
Swansea Crown Court heard the dispute stemmed from a car belonging to a woman known to Cullen. The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, had borrowed the vehicle but allowed a friend to drive it. That friend crashed the car, and the two left the damaged vehicle behind.
When the woman’s attempts to obtain compensation from the teenager were unsuccessful, she mentioned the situation to Cullen, who decided to intervene.
The phone call
Prosecutor Brian Simpson told the court that on the night of April 13 this year, Cullen telephoned the teenager demanding he pay for the damage. During the call he told the victim he had recently been released from prison, before threatening to attend his home that night and cut off his fingers with an axe.
The teenager ended the call, contacted police, and left the house out of fear that Cullen would follow through on the threat.
What happened next
At 2.30am the following morning, Cullen and the car’s owner arrived at the teenager’s address by taxi. After knocking on the front door and receiving no answer, Cullen pulled a hammer from the pocket of his hoodie and smashed the property’s video doorbell.
He then went into the rear garden and took a children’s motorbike. Officers arrived at the scene as the defendant was riding away on the stolen bike, and he was tracked down and arrested shortly afterwards.
In a statement read to the court, the victim said he feared for the safety of his family.
Criminal record and guilty pleas
Cullen had previously pleaded guilty to sending threatening communications, criminal damage, possession of an offensive weapon, and driving while disqualified. He has 11 previous convictions spanning 41 offences, including serious violence, dangerous driving, and aggravated vehicle taking.
Defence and sentencing
Andrew Evans, representing Cullen, said his client had been “trying to secure compensation for a friend” but accepted he should not have acted as he did. The advocate described the threats as “empty” and said Cullen had left prison drug free shortly before the incident, and was disappointed in his own behaviour.
Judge Huw Rees said he suspected that in the cold light of day, Cullen now recognised he went about things the wrong way and should never have involved himself in the dispute.
Cullen received an 18-month prison sentence, reduced by one quarter to reflect his guilty pleas. He will serve 40 per cent of the term in custody before being released on licence to complete the remainder in the community.
