Small town Chinese whispers led to suspended prison sentence after a Pembroke Dock shop-keeper was threatened.

Jamie Hobson, of Victoria Road, Port Talbot, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause fear of violence when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates on Wednesday, February 13.

Vaughan Pritchard-Jones, prosecuting, said: “I’m afraid it was another incident where Chinese whispers go round town and people get the wrong end of the stick, and act before getting the full facts.”

He told the court that a woman had slipped and fallen to the floor while she and another man assaulted a Pembroke Dock shop-keeper.

“Unfortunately, despite the fact that he was the victim, rumours went round town that he had in fact assaulted the female involved.

“The defendant decided he was a woman-beater.”

Hobson, 29, went to the man’s shop at 10.30am on October 5 and shouted threats at the owner, stating: “You are a dead man. Come here and fight me.”

He returned an hour later and repeated the same threats, adding: “I’ll break your jaw, I’m going to kill you.”

A builder working next door heard Hobson shout: “You’re going to get what’s coming to you, you woman-beater.”

Mike Kelleher, defending, said: “He went to the property and said things that were inappropriate and that he should not have done.”

Mr Kelleher added that Hobson had now moved away from the area to make a fresh start.

“It is a very unfortunate incident and it does highlight that in small towns things fly around Facebook that are not correct.”

Magistrates imposed 12 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months.

Hobson was ordered to pay £200 in costs and a surcharge.