A teenager who threatened his ex’s new boyfriend has been put on probation for 18 months.

Jonjo Watson told his former girlfriend he would slit her partner’s throat.

Watson initially denied the domestic abuse offence but then later changed his plea to guilty.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood also gave 19-year-old a six month restraining order.

In July 2023, he sent numerous messages to her, threatening to take their child to the UK.

On August 20, she was with her boyfriend in their car when they saw Watson nearby in his Mazda Miata.

He parked around nine cars behind them and then got out and headed towards them.

The woman and her partner drove off as Watson approached their vehicle, saying they wanted to avoid him.

She parked the car at a different location but then saw Watson drive past again.

He then started ringing her numerous times.

She eventually answered and Watson said: ‘Who’s that guy in your car?

‘The first thing I’m going to do is slit his throat.

‘They’re not threats, they’re promises.’

The male in the car started recording the conversation as Watson demanded to know where he was, and threatened to go to his address.

He was subsequently arrested and when interviewed, handed in a prepared statement, denying abusive behaviour.

The court heard that he has no previous convictions.

Defence advocate Paul Glover said that all the threats had been made over the phone and nothing physical had taken place.

Mr Glover asked the court to follow the recommendation of a probation report, which suggested a period of supervision as the most appropriate sentence.

The advocate said that this had been Watson’s first offence and that he had learnt a serious lesson from it.

Mr Glover asked the court to limit the restraining order to a brief period, saying that the two parties were still co-parenting a child.

A probation report set out work and interventions which would be done if Watson was sentenced to a period of supervision.

Deputy High Bailiff Ms Braidwood said that she had taken into account that the abuse had been over a relatively short period, although she added that it would have been very frightening.

‘Some of the things you said to your child’s mother were absolutely dreadful,’ said the Deputy High Bailiff.

She also said that there had been a passage of time since the offending, that the defendant had abided by a bail condition not to contact the complainant, and that there had been no actual violence used.

Watson, who lives at Marathon Road in Douglas, was also ordered to pay £300 prosecution costs, which he will pay at a rate of £25 per week.