Van revenge woman spared prison

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A Cumbrian bride-to-be who pushed her fiance's work van, and all his clothes, into a harbour has been spared jail.

Emma Thomason of Whitehaven, rolled Jason Wilson's van off the town marina when he refused to leave a pub.

Earlier this month, she admitted aggravated vehicle-taking without consent and driving without insurance.

The kitchen assistant, whose wedding and £2,000 honeymoon have now been cancelled, was given a 90-day suspended jail term by Whitehaven magistrates.

The defendant's reaction is something she bitterly regrets, an impulsive act borne of many years of frustration John Dugan, defending

Thomason took revenge when Mr Wilson, also 24, would not come home to help look after their two children, the court heard.

She said Mr Wilson's behaviour on 13 May had been "the last straw".

John Dugan, defending, said: "Throughout the relationship, he in effect wanted the benefits of living as a family man with a family life while retaining the freedoms of a single man.

"The defendant's reaction is something she bitterly regrets, an impulsive act borne of many years of frustration."

Relationship over

The damage Thomason caused came to more than £8,000 and police were forced to drain the harbour to recover the Ford Transit.

Mr Wilson has since moved out of the family home and the couple have ended their seven-year relationship.

At Wednesday's hearing, Thomason was also disqualified from driving for 12 months, given 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay £500 compensation to Mr Wilson.

Her jail sentence was suspended for one year.