Jilted Herbert Larnder carried out a campaign of threats and harassment against a former policeman and parish councillor who went off with his wife.

Larnder, 48, made death threats to Robert Cordery and distributed 300 "obituary notices" around the village of Hatfield Peverel.

They said: "Here lies Bob Cordery. Scum of the earth. Left his wife after 39 years. His life in days not years. He should have kept his......in his pants, now his friends are the ants."

But Chelmsford Crown Court heard how the affair has since ended and a reconciliation between Larnder and his wife has been "relatively successful."

Larnder, of Chuzzlewit Drive, Chelmsford, was appearing in court for sentence after an earlier hearing was deferred to see if the reconciliation had worked.

The September hearing was told Larnder got very upset when he discovered his wife Hilary was having an affair with Mr Cordery, the court was told.

In April last year, Mr Cordery left his wife after telling her about the affair and Mrs Larnder also left her husband and moved in with Mr Cordery at a flat in Hatfield Peverel.

Larnder vowed to get his wife back, the court heard, and over the next few months there was a catalogue of incidents.

He visited the flat "wild with rage", his eyes staring, and once told Mr Cordery he would not see retirement and he would hunt him down like scum, David Holborn, prosecuting, said.

After he was arrested, Larnder told police he wanted to get back at Mr Cordery for taking his wife away from him. He felt Mr Cordery should be made to suffer as he was suffering himself.

He also said he distributed the obituary notices as he was aware Mr Cordery at the time was a Hatfield Peverel parish councillor and it would cause him problems.

Larnder also told police he had shown Mr Cordery a photograph of a gun to put him in fear of his life and he also said he wanted to chop him up and put the pieces in a Sainsbury's carrier bag.

He admitted charges of making a threat to kill Mr Cordery and putting him in fear of violence and was jailed for 12 months, suspended for a year.

The judge was told by Alan Blake, mitigating, that Larnder was now back on an even keel and no longer a risk or threat to the public.

And Judge Christopher Ball QC said: "I want you to have a Sword of Damocles hanging over your head by way of a suspended sentence so the court will have the power to bring you back in the event of there being any relapse in your conduct but I have every reason to suppose that won't happen."

Published Tuesday January 15, 2002